Four Lettered Lie
by This Is My Escape
Summary: Damon Salvatore thought that he'd never have to see Elena Gilbert again. He was wrong. AU. AH.
1. Breaking hearts, for far too long

_**AN:** I'm back with a new story! I've been working on this for months and I'm _so_ excited to finally be able to share it with you! I don't even know how to appropriately thank those of you who have helped me with this thing. Mariah's been an amazing beta for quite a while and I owe her the world! Sandra, Morgan, Amy, Mollie, Jenn, Layla, thank you all so much for your encouragement and advice. I owe **all** of you the__ world. Enjoy!_

* * *

Unpacking the last of her bags, Elena Gilbert placed her suitcase neatly into the hall closet before returning to her bedroom and taking in the breathtaking view of the bustling city outside of her window. New York City, to be exact.

Her new home.

She'd recently completed her final semester of law school, finishing at the top of her class. She'd excelled there, drawing on her skills as a writer, negotiator and – when the situation had called for it – debater. She loved being right and loved the sense of smug satisfaction she felt when her opponents realized they'd underestimated her even more.

As a petite and pretty brunette with wide doe eyes that gave her a deceptively innocent look, people underestimated her all of the time.

Elena had wanted to become a lawyer for as long as she could remember – she knew she'd be brilliant at it –and that dream was one step closer to become a reality. Moving away from the window, she crossed the bare hardwood floor of her bedroom to her dresser, picking up an official letter with hands that trembled more than she would have liked. She scanned the heavy stationary, rereading the invitation to her second – and potentially final – interview to begin her first job as a paralegal; she planned on working as one so that when she passed the bar exams, she'd already have a spot in the firm. It was also a means to make money since she was paying for schooling on her own. Her gaze eventually landed on the address and official seal across the header. Salvatore & Salvatore: Attorneys at Law.

_Salvatore._

For the hundredth time, Elena wondered if she'd completely lost her mind – just reading the name made her blood run cold and a shiver race down her spine – but she'd known what she was getting herself into when she'd applied. And when she'd gone in for her first interview.

The opportunity was simply too perfect to pass up.

A position had opened at Salvatore & Salvatore, one of the post prestigious firms in the city, and she'd jumped at the opportunity not only to get a foot in the door, but to show certain people what she was made of – even though she was completely unprepared to face _him_.

Damon Salvatore.

Not only would she be working with him, she'd be working _for _him – after years of silence. A painful memory rose from the buried depths of her mind, reminding Elena why she had kept her distance.

_August 2005_

_Chewing mercilessly on her bottom lip, __Elena __loaded boxes __into her car, __preparing __to take off for __her first semester at __Duke University. She was happy __and excited – __ready for __the next__ chapter __of__ her life __to begin__. She'd finally get to experience __all of the things that went along with __being a college student – dorm rooms, late night study sessions, frat parties – __and the independence that came with it._

_The intensity of her excitement and anticipation wasn't enough to outweigh the anxiety coursing through her, however. Elena was worried, plain and simple. __Not about school, necessarily – nerves were normal __and expected – but about her best friend._

_She was worried about Damon. _

_He'd been her best friend since they'd been in diapers, or at least it felt that way. Her earliest memory took her back __to __when __they'd__ played in a sandbox and he__'d__ dumped sand in__to__ her hair for sitting in his spot when he'd gone to grab a juice box from his mother. Once their parents had made him apologize, they'd quickly made up and played __together __for the remainder of the day, __lost__ in their own little world. __They'd remained inseparable throughout elementary school, junior high and even high school. She trusted him more than her best girlfriends and n__ow, she couldn't picture her life without __him in it__. Damon understood her, __looked out for her__ and he always made her laugh. _

_But not today._

_Typically, he'd__ be boasting about how awesome he was and how much __she was going to __miss him while she was away at school__, but the confident, self-assured Damon Salvatore was nowhere to be found. Instead, he__ was __quiet and reserved as he helped her pack – preoccupied by something he wasn't sharing with her. The few times that he _had _spoken, __Elena could've sworn __that he'd__ stammer__ed __and__ fumbled __for__ words. He avoided __looking at __her, quickly averting his __gaze whenever she glanced his way__._

_Resting against one of her tail lights, __Elena looked over at him. __Feeling the weight of her gaze, Damon froze __for a millisecond before looking over at her – finally. He cocked a brow__, flashing__ his blue __eyes__ in a way that made blood rush to her cheeks. "What are you lookin' at, Gilbert?"_

_F__eeling like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar__, Elena shrugged, replying quickly.__ "Nothing," __P__icking up her laptop bag__, she asked.__ "Should I put this in the back seat, or the front?" She held it close to her chest __as she__ waited for him to respond._

"_Well," he drawled, __apparently shaking his funk for the moment. __"Unless you'd like to pull a __busted__ computer out of that bag when you get to Durham, I suggest you put it on the floor in the front." _

_Taking the bag from her grasp, he put it carefully on the floor in front of the passenger seat. Straightening up, he turned around and met her gaze, instantly clamming__ up again. __C__learing his throat awkwardly__, he__ shut the door, keeping his eyes trained on the ground as he made his way back to her._

"_What's the matter with you?" Elena __asked in a sudden burst of frustration. Leaving him was going to be hard enough – she couldn't stand the idea of driving away and forcing him to struggle with whatever was bothering him alone. _

_Damon blanched at her loud outburst. "What's the matter with me?" he __repeated__, turning away from her before adding. "Nothing."_

_Elena __huffed, rolling __her eyes __and fighting the urge__ to pull her hair out. She knew he was __lying – he could bullshit everyone else, but never her. She saw through his mask every time. __"Tell me the truth, Salvatore__," she insisted, knowing that drawing attention to whatever was bothering him might upset him further, but deciding that it was worth the risk__. "I can read you like a book. Something's up, so, out with it." _

_Ignoring her, Damon focused on__ loading her belongings __until__ Elena smacked him upside the head with the palm of her hand. "What the hell?" he hissed,__ flinching away from the assault.__ "I don't know what you're babbling about." He threw her duffle bag into the car and reached down to grab her miniature fan. "__Damn,__ can't I just be …bummed __that __you're leaving?" _

"_Oh, __I see. I'm going to away for school, __so __obviously __it's__ the end of the world," she quipped, hoping it would be enough to earn a smirk or an eye-roll – something. It wasn't as if they'd never see or talk to each other again. They had each other's numbers__, __texted all the time __and __talked on the phone just as much. That wasn't going to change just because she'd be in another state. "You've barely spoken to me all day," she __added__, frowning __at his lack of reaction__. "That's not like you, Damon." _

_Sighing, he continued to avoid her gaze as he stared at her luggage. "I don't know what you want me to say." _

"_I want you to __tell me what's__ bugging you!" she __exclaimed__. _God, he's so damn stubborn, _she thought with exasperation. __Giuseppe __Salvatore __would truly have an asset in Damon if his son chose to __follow in his footsteps and join the family law firm__. _

"_It's going to make this awkward," he answered honestly as he carefully __packed__ the rest of her boxes into the trunk of her new black SUV. "I don't want to –" _

"_Come on," she __prodded, nudging his booted foot with her own__. "You know you can __tell__ me anything." _

_Shaking his head __reluctantly__, he tried his best to explain. "I don't even –" _

"_Talk to me." _

_Damon __blew__ out a deep breath__, lifting his eyes to meet hers__. She waited for him to look away again, but __this time __he didn't. __Closing the trunk, he leaned against the back end, crossing his arms as he shook his head at her. __"You know me so well, it's freaky."_

_Smiling, she__ nodded. "I'd be a pretty terrible friend if I didn't," she winked. "We've known each other long enough."_

"_True," he chuckled. "My freak of a best friend." He smirked when she __punched his arm lightly__, but the expression soon __faded__. __Swallowing__,__ he ran__ a nervous hand through his dark hair __before h__e continued __hesitantly__. "You're…you mean a lot to me, Elena. You're one of my best friends."_

"_No. I _am _your best friend," she __interrupted, correcting him with pride__. "I'm __also, __like, your only friend so…" _

"_Hey!" Damon protested playfully as she laughed. __"__You wanna hear this or not? __Let me finish." _

_Despite his playful demeanor, the apprehension lingering in his eyes intensified, making Elena's anxiety rise. She'd never seen him like this before. Opening his mouth, Damon paused one last lengthy moment before blurting out. __"I love you, Elena." _

_Elena blinked. That's what he'd been nervous about? __Giggling as her nerves subsided, she said, __"I love you, too, Damon." _

_She rubbed a comforting hand down his arm, linking their pinky fingers together when their hands met __in__ a gesture that had become habit __nearly ten years ago__. When they were nine, she'd made him pinky promise __that __they'd always be friends – that they'd be there for __each__ other no matter what._

_The young, blue-eyed man shook his head. "No, Elena," he laughed tensely, squeezing her little finger with his. "I'm in love with you.__ I _love_ you." _

_She watched him, amused, waiting for the moment __that __he burst into laughter and said, "Gotcha!" But Damon's expression, the __raw, vulnerable __look in his oceanic __eyes__ told her that there would be no take-backs or punch-lines. The silence felt eternal before Elena panicked and ripped her hand out of his loose grasp. _

_He was _in love _with her?_

"_What?" she __demanded__, her voice __jumping__ an octave __as her heart hammered against her ribs. _

_He pushed away from the SUV, straightening up slowly. "What," he repeated, mulling over the word as he shook his head and took a step back. "I tell you I love you and you say…'what.' __That's, uh…that's not exactly the reaction I was looking for."_

"_Damon this is…" Elena swallowed, trying to find the words to explain her reaction, but there were no words. There was nothing but questions and disbelief. __Why was he telling her this now? __She was leaving for school – he was helping her pack her damn bags – and he was telling her this _now?_ "__This is completely out of the blue!"_

"_This is very much _in_ the blue, Elena!__" Damon insisted. "__You knew how I felt. You had to have known –" _

"_I didn't," she whispered, interrupting him again. She was so numb with shock that she couldn't even figure out how she felt about his revelation. _Not that it matters, _she thought, _because I'm leaving. _Desperately, she shook her head even as he nodded his. __"No. No, you're not. You don't love me, Damon. You're not –" _

_His lips twisted into a bright, pained smile. __ "I am –" _

"_You're not," she pressed. __God, was he being serious? Why had he waited so long to tell her?__ "Damon, you can't be!" _

"_Well, I am," he snapped__, his face falling as she actually jumped and took an involuntary step backwards. Holding up his hands, his voice was softer but no less intense as he continued. "__The timing sucks, I get it __and __I'm sorry. But if I didn't tell you today… if I didn't tell you before you left...I was going to explode. __I couldn't let you leave without knowing.__ I had to tell you…" _

_Nausea rolled through Elena as she saw the spark of hope in Damon's electric blue irises. __"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" _

"_Oh, I don't know, maybe because I didn't want to ruin our friendship," Damon reached out for her__, clenching his jaw as__ she shirked away from him. __Shaking his head, he cursed to himself before muttering. __"Looks like I just did anyway."_

_Elena's heart twisted __as he began to back away. __"Damon, wait__," she said, reaching for his arm as she followed him. "You didn't ruin anything, this is just unexpected. I need time –," __but he __jerked__ away._

"_No, I think __I need to leave__," he declared, tearing his arm from her grasp as he continued to walk away. "This was a mistake. __I should just leave."_

_Elena paled. __"Damon, no…you promised me –" _

"_Have a fantastic time at Duke, Elena," __he sneered as he turned on his heel and nearly ran down the driveway. Elena w__atched him, __speechless at how fast things had taken a turn for the worse,__as her vision blurred and h__ot __tears__ slipped down her cheeks. __One minute, __Damon had been helping her __pack her SUV for college and the next he'd been telling her that he's in love with her__. _

_And then she's rejecting him __before he can even get the words out?_

What the hell is wrong with me?_ she __wondered, wishing that she could have the last ten minutes of her life back. But what would she have done differently? It was true that she'd always had a little bit of a crush on Damon. With his amazing looks and killer confidence – not to mention those ridiculous blue eyes – girls fell for him left and right. Elena had quit trying to keep track of his girlfriends sometime in grade school when a different girl had been chasing him on the playground every day, trying to steal a kiss during recess. She'd long ago made peace with the fact that she was The Best Friend – The Almost Sister – and that he'd never, _ever, _feel _that _way about her. She'd been more than okay with having that place in his life because it was constant, safe, and she knew she'd still be there when he'd moved on from his flavor of the week. _

_Had she been wrong the entire time?_

"_Damon, wait!" __she cried, not knowing what she'd say if he listened, but needing to try, unable to accept that she'd just thrown away a life-long friendship. __Damon ignored her, waving her off with a __dismissive __flick of his wrist __before jumping__ into his blue Camaro and starting the ignition without so much as __a glance__ in her direction. It was then that Elena realized that __it was too late – that she's lost him__. __She'd watched him drive off, h__er heart __constricting__ painfully in her chest._

Shuddering at the memory, Elena's stomach dropped as she looked at the letter and the name emblazoned across the header. _What the hell have I gotten myself into? _

Yes, she wanted to be a lawyer and yes, she'd worked hard and waited a long time for the opportunity to show people what she was made of. Elena was ready for the beginning her career, but was she ready to see Damon again? She quickly shook the thought away.

_It doesn't matter, _she decided, shaking her doubts away as she folded up the letter and held her head high. _It's over and done with and I need to get ready._

Slipping into a sleek black pencil skirt and a silk blouse that showed off a hint of cleavage, Elena surveyed her reflection with a critical eye. Aiming for feminine, but professional, she swept her long hair into a twist that would keep it out of her eyes and prevent her from fiddling with it if she grew nervous. Sliding her feet into a pair of black heels that gave her the height she needed not to be seen as a child, she stared at herself in the mirror and nodded in approval. She looked nothing like the eighteen-year-old girl who'd stammered and stuttered and lost her best friend on the day she'd left for college.

Perfect.

* * *

Buried in paperwork, Damon Salvatore tried to prepare for his new assistant. Well, technically the firm would be hiring a paralegal, but he had other plans for Salvatore & Salvatore's newest employee. He already had an assistant and Rebekah Mikaelson was more of a plaything than a worker bee; he intended to keep it that way. If his father complained about it, Damon planned on convincing him that he needed another grunt at his disposal to help him with his workload. It would be worth the humiliation of pretending that he couldn't handle it on his own. Either way, he was free to indulge in Rebekah whenever he wanted and no one would know the difference.

He was golden.

"Mr. Salvatore." Looking up, he smiled as his blonde secretary poked her head through the doorway. _Speak of the devil, _he thought as she smiled and winked playfully, knowing that their coworkers wouldn't be able to see the flirtatious gesture."May I come in?"

"Please," he smirked while he leaning back in his leather chair.

Stepping inside of his office, Rebekah shut and locked the door with a soft click before moving to the windows and closing the blinds. Damon's gaze darkened as his gaze drifted to her firm ass, perfectly shaped in her short, black pencil skirt. The company had a dress code and he was sure that his assistant's attire was a good four inches shy of regulation.

"It's been a while," she murmured, sauntering toward him as he stacked his files into unorganized piles – he'd get Worker Bee to file them later.

"That it has."

"We're awfully busy today."

"We are," he smirked.

"Calls are flying in, cases piling up. Are you sure you want to take the risk?" she teased, sitting on his lap and placing her hands on his shoulders, giving them a soft squeeze. "Your father and brother both have the key to your office. They could walk in at any moment."

"The bigger the risk, the greater the reward, Bex," he replied, taking her face in his hands and pulling her down to meet his lips. He wrapped his hands in her hair, the kiss quickly growing in fervor and intensity as he lifted her off of his lap and placing her on the edge of his desk. Parting her lips with his tongue, he eased her to her back as he unbuttoned her blouse and reached inside to palm her breast. Her nipples were hard, straining against the fabric as she kissed him back, their tongues dueling in a battle for supremacy.

Rebekah whimpered softly as he abandoned her breast in favor of reaching down to hike up her skirt. His cock twitched when he found her bare, his fingers skating over the soft, silky folds. "Very nice," he murmured against her neck, placing kisses along her collar bone and gently nibbling on it before working his way lower.

"I know what you like," she breathed as he placed her feet on the armrests of his chair.

Damon grinned, inching his fingers up her thighs and leaning forward to separate her folds with his tongue. Taking a seat, he rolled his chair closer, keeping his eyes trained on hers as he began to lap at her.

Rebekah's whimper became a moan as she gripped the edge of the desk with one hand, using the other to take hold of his hair, pressing him close as he tasted her swollen flesh. "Shhh," he warned, placing a firm hand on her flat belly to hold her still as she began to buck against him. Soon, he had her biting her lip to hold back a scream of pleasure as she lunged upward, her eyes rolling back as she found her release.

"Oh my God!" she gasped breathlessly after a few moments; his talented tongue hadn't failed. "Are you shitting me?"

Leaning back in his chair, Damon placed his hands behind his head and shrugged with a smug smirk, satisfied, as always, with his work. "I'd ask you if it was good, but…the look on your face is answer enough." Grinning, Rebekah inched her foot up his leg, closer to his hard cock where it pressed against his pants. "Looking to return the favor?" he asked, raising a brow. Nodding, she slid off of the desk and back into his lap without bothering to fix her skirt.

Wrapping her arms around his neck and sighing when he ghosted his fingers along her ass, Rebekah slipped her tongue into his mouth for a brief kiss before dropping to the floor and kneeling in front of him. Unzipping his pants, she freed his cock, taking him into her mouth just as the door swung open and Guiseppe Salvatore stormed into his office.

"Damon!"

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, rolling his chair forward and pushing Rebekah under his desk, praying that she would stay hidden and quiet. "What the hell are you doing in here?" he demanded, trying to stifle a groan as his secretary took his cock in her mouth and resumed the expert blow job. _Sweet Jesus._ Clenching his hands into fists, he glared at his father. "The goddamn door was locked."

"So, I noticed. What the hell are_ you_ doing in here, Damon?" Giuseppe snapped, surveying the darkened, cluttered office with open disgust. "There are six calls on hold, all trying to get through to you. It's been more than five minutes and you know the policy. Why are they still on hold?"

Damon said nothing, trying to keep his ragged breathing under control as he gripped the armrests of his chair hard enough to turn his knuckles white. Rebekah had begun swirling her tongue around his cock, paying special attention to the head. _Fuck me._

Guiseppe's face reddened in anger. "Is there a woman in here?" he demanded.

Nudging Rebekah with his knee, Damon stalled for time as she released him from the delicious confines of her mouth and tucked him back into his pants. If his father caught her, he'd fire her on the spot and Damon wouldn't allow that. As soon as she'd zipped his pants, he stood up and walked confidently around his desk. "Of course not," he scoffed. "But what if there was? What would you do? It's not like you can fire me."

"Don't be so sure about that."

"_Really?_" he asked skeptically, raising a brow at his father. Damon had helped the man make the firm what it was – without his help, it would have folded with the economy. He was good at his job, damn good, and his father may have been a dick, but he wasn't an idiot – he knew that his job was secure. Still, he found it hard to keep his cool. "Who lit the fuse on your tampon? You'd fire your own son?"

"I will if I catch you with a woman while you're on the job!" Guiseppe threatened. "Why the hell was your door locked?"

Knowing the threat was empty, Damon dared to push the old man's buttons. "I was…taking my break," he shrugged with a lazy grin. A small giggle erupted from underneath the desk and his father blew a gasket. _Fuck__,_ Damon thought, his shoulders sagging._ Here we go._

"I may not get rid of you, but that little bimbo underneath your desk is another story. Congratulations, you get the honor of firing her." Shaking his head in disgust, Giuseppe stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Rebekah waited a moment before popping up and running a hand through her disheveled hair.

"Well, that was close," she grinned, taking Damon's hand as he helped her to her feet. "I thought he was going to catch me." Her smile faded at the way his jaw ticked, shaking his head.

"He did."

"Damon?" she asked, worry creeping into voice. "You're not really going to fire me, are you? He doesn't even know who I am."

"Yes, he does," Damon chortled. "Honey, he may act like an old, bumbling fool, but he knows everyone's name."

Rebekah paled, buttoning up her blouse and straightening her skirt. "What are we going to do?"

Closing his eyes briefly, Damon cursed his father for being such a goddamned nosy bastard. Taking a breath, he cleared his throat and smoothed down his tie. "I want you out, Rebekah; Out of my office and out of this building." He looked her in the eyes and delivered the final blow. "You're fired."

Her eyes widened as she laughed nervously. "You actually sounded serious."

"I am serious. Get out."

She frowned, slowly realizing that he wasn't kidding. "Oh…oh, my God," she gasped, her eyes welling with tears. Before Damon realized what was happening, she slapped him. Hard. "You are an asshole!" she sobbed covering her face with her hands as she flewout of the room, clearly mortified.

An amused brunette appeared in the doorway as Rebekah ran down the hallway. "Holy hell," she grinned with a raised eyebrow. "What'd you do to her?"

"Nothing," Damon snapped, flipping back down in his seat as he gathered the haphazard stack of files from the floor. "I don't have time for your shit today, Katherine. I'm busy."

Katherine Pierce. He'd worked with the woman for nearly three years and saw her regularly off the clock. She was a good-looking woman, beautiful even, but she drove him up the fucking wall too often for him to consider her for even a one-night stand.

There was also the minor detail that she was engaged to his brother.

"I want to know what happened with your latest conquest," she snickered, sauntering into the room and perching on the edge of his desk as if she didn't have a care in the world. Leaning across the desk, she raised a brow. "Did she ask you for a relationship or something?"

He ignored her, cursing himself for throwing his files into random order and not transcribing them. Rebekah had been terrible at her actual job, but she'd been better than nothing. Now he'd have to do the manual labor himself until his new assistant arrived. _Fan-fucking-tastic. _

"Ahem," Katherine cleared her throat, poking him in the forehead with her index finger. "Damon."

"For fuck's sake, Pierce; Leave me alone, would you?" Damon ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. "I had to fire her, okay? Christ! Now get out of here!"

"Ooh," she pouted mockingly, before it turned into a spirited smirk. "You feel sorry for her, do you?"

"Shut up, Katherine."

"Damn," she breathed, a ghost of a smile on her lips as he continued to avoid her gaze. "You … you really seem to regret what you had to do to her." Katherine bit her lip and cocked her head to one side. "Huh. I didn't figure you to be the caring type, Damon."

"If you don't leave right now, you'll be the next one I fire," he growled. "I'll have you out of here so fucking fast you'll –"

"I'll what?" Katherine challenged, standing up and meeting his gaze with one of defiance. "You know you can't fire me. Papa Salvatore loves me too much."

"Only because you kiss his ass on a _daily _basis." The comment made her mouth snap shut and Damon chuckled as he watched her brows dip in indignation. "Oh, come on, Kitty Kat. It's a joke, not a dick. Don't take it so hard."

Katherine just shook her head. "You are the dick, Damon. And that's a shitty joke." She stalked out of the room, leaving an extremely annoyed and overwhelmed Damon alone in his office.

He buried his face in his hands, taking a moment to collect himself. "Dammit," he whispered, cursing himself for the umpteenth time before grudgingly deciding it was time to stop moping and get some of his mountain of work done. "Jesus, what are you trying to do?" he exclaimed upon seeing his brother sitting in the chair on the other side of his desk. "Give a guy a heart attack?"

"No, but apparently you're trying to give our father one," Stefan stated, obviously irritated.

"What the hell are you bitching about?"

"I'm talking about Dad. He's in his office having a conniption. What the fuck did you do to piss him off so badly?"

Damon laughed scornfully. "Of course. He gets pissy and I get blamed. Typical."

"Well, you do have a talent for pissing him off," Stefan pointed out, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "And by the way, I saw Katherine as she left. She was upset. I don't know what's going on, but leave my fiancée out of it."

"She came into _my _office," he protested, his eyes lighting up as he realized his brother gave him a surefire way to get him out of there. "And she was laying on the seduction pretty thick there, brother. Hussy."

"She's not a hussy, Damon," Stefan growled defensively. "She flirts with everyone, it's who she is."

Damon's lips pursed together contemplatively. Nodding, he admitted. "Okay. You're right. She's not a hussy, but if dicks had wings, her mouth would be an airport."

"God, Damon," Stefan yelled, standing up and placing his palms flat on Damon's desk, attempting intimidation. "Shut the hell up! Why are you such a dick?"

"I'm your big brother," Damon smirked, watching as Stefan headed for the door in a huff. "It's in my job description." The younger Salvatore muttered something under his breath and Damon rolled his eyes. "Touchy, touchy. You should leave now, too. You'd be the fourth person today that leaves my office in a hissy fit."

Stefan crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door jam. "Damon, what's going on with you? I know you and Rebekah had your fling, and I know you cared about –"

"No," he snapped, effectively silencing his brother. "I didn't."

Damon Salvatore didn't do relationships, he didn't do caring, and he didn't do the whole 'love' scene. He was interested in fun, in good sex and one-night-stands and no strings attached. The second he caught a whiff of commitment, he cut bait.

"Fine," Stefan sighed. "You didn't care. But you spent a lot of time with her, long hours…that's long enough to get to know her in every possible way and you just had to fire her." Damon narrowed his eyes. "I can see why you're upset. If that hadn't happened, I could have seen the two of you eventually –" He shut his mouth quickly as Damon rose angrily from his seat. "Okay, okay," he said, holding up his hands. "I won't say the dreaded 'C' word, but…there was something between you two in the last few months she worked with us."

"Whatever," Damon grumbled, tearing his eyes away from his brother to continue his work. "The only 'C' word I do with women, is climaxing." He hadn't wanted anything close to the other word in a long, long time.

___"I'm in love with you.__ I _love___ you."_

He hastily blocked that memory from his mind before it had the chance to settle. Damon tried not to think about Elena Gilbert – the girl who had held his heart in her hands and then threw it back in his face – because when he did he usually ended up spending the night with his best buddy George T Stagg. He kept the Limited Edition bottle of whiskey reserved for those _special_ occasions.

The bottle was almost empty.

"I won't make the mistake of getting caught pleasuring a co-worker again, brother," he promised sarcastically. "Don't you worry."

"Yeah, right," Stefan scoffed, lingering in the doorway and picking at a tiny imperfection in the wood as his lips curled into a grin. "So, did Daddy dearest tell you who the next employee at Salvatore & Salvatore is going to be?"

"No," Damon replied, flipping through the top folder on his desk as his brother continued to leer at him from across the room. After a few moments of silence, the raven-haired man looked up from his papers, eyeing him suspiciously. Stefan knew something. "Why do you ask?"

The younger Salvatore's grin merely widened in response.

* * *

_**AN:** Thank you so much for reading & please review! ~Kate_


	2. Loving you, for far too long

_**AN:** Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed last chapter! Each one is, and I'm not even kidding, like a little burst of inspiration. I think I've responded to everyone (other than the Guests I was unable to respond to). I have to apologize; this should have been posted so much sooner! My computer died, but I got to the library and posted this as soon as I could. Anyway, throughout the next few chapters, we're going to be jumping back and forth in time. Aside from showing you how close Elena and Damon were, it'll be something of a relief for when the present gets heavy - and it will. I've also dated the flashbacks so that they're not too confusing. If they are, hang tight. All will be explained in due time. ;) __A lot of you were anxious to see Damon's reaction to Stefan's news. Well, here it is! Enjoy! ~Kate_

_I'd be lost without my beta. Thank you, Mariah!_

* * *

After paying the driver, Elena carefully climbed out of the taxi and stared up at the intimidatingly tall skyscraper where she'd hopefully be starting her new job. She inhaled deeply.

This was it.

_God, I'm so freaking nervous._

Elena was nervous for her final interview with Giuseppe Salvatore, of course, but the real source of her anxiety was the thought of seeing Damon again. Not just _seeing _him – if she succeeded in snagging this job, she'd be working _with_ him.

She'd pretended she could handle it by telling his father that working for them wouldn't be a problem, but now that she was so close to getting what she wanted – her way into law – she was beginning to have her doubts. What would happen when Elena saw the man who broke her heart all those years ago? Straightening her shoulders, she braced herself for what was about to happen as best she could, stepping through the revolving glass doors of _Salvatore & Salvatore _with her head held high_._

* * *

Glaring at Stefan, Damon leaned forward in his chair. "Don't be a dick, baby brother," he warned. The younger Salvatore merely shrugged, relaxing further into his chair and smiling smugly as he continued to keep his silence. "Goddammit, Stefan!" Damon shouted in a fit of temper, pounding his desk with his fist and causing papers to fly everywhere. "Am I going to have to beat the answer out of you or can you just tell me?"

"I don't know," his brother shrugged. "This is fun."

"Stefan," Damon said, his voice low and menacing. "Tell me what I want to know."

"Or else what?" Stefan taunted, raising his brow in challenge.

"Or else I take my frustrations out on your fiancée," Damon replied with a tight lipped smile.

The threat failed to have the impact that Damon wanted, but Stefan finally gave in. Crossing his leg over his knee, the younger Salvatore steepled his fingers and put on his best 'thinking' face. "What was her name again? That girl you were best friends with until you fucked it all up?" Damon's stomach dropped, twisting into a tight knot of anxiety as Stefan's eyes danced. "_That's_ right. Elena Gilbert. She has one last interview with Dad, but I'm pretty sure he hired her the second she said 'hello' over the phone."

Damon's jaw dropped with such force that he was fairly certain he'd have a bruise. Giuseppe hired Elena? _His _Elena?

What the ever-loving fuck?

"What the hell was he thinking?" Damon demanded, once he was able to pick his jaw up off of the floor and find his voice. Leaping up from his chair, he stalked around his desk to further interrogate his brother. "He brought her onto the firm? Are you shitting me?"

"Nope." A slow smile peeled upwards and Stefan added. "Dear old Dad was impressed with her resume...and I may have put in a good word for her."

"What? Why?" Damon cried out in frustration before narrowing his eyes angrily. "I made fun of your hairdo one too many times, didn't I? That's the reason for your betrayal."

"I'm not betraying you," Stefan replied, rolling his eyes at Damon's dramatic reaction. "Unlike you, I don't have anything against her and she needs a job, Damon," he explained matter-of-factly, keeping that smug grin firmly in place. "And you were saying something about using the new employee as an assistant? Problem solved, don't you think? I was only trying to help."

Damon scoffed, beginning to pace anxiously back and forth. As usual, Stefan's 'help' was about as useful as an ejector seat in a helicopter. His little brother knew everything that had happened between him and Elena; mostly because Damon had been an idiot and purged the details in a drunken confession during a rare night of brotherly bonding. He should have known that Stefan would find a way to use his pain for his own entertainment.

Damon had worked overtime for years to keep thoughts of Elena at bay and now she was going to be here, thrust upon him on a daily basis. _No_, he grumbled mentally. _Problem not solved._

"I'm sure you were," Damon snapped, exhaling sharply. "Fuck. Well, thanks for letting me know. You can go now."

"You're very welcome."

"Get the hell out, Stefan." Raising his hands defensively, Stefan rose from the chair and headed for the door. As he opened it, Damon called out to him.

"Yes?" he smiled smugly.

"When is her final interview?"

"Noon."

Damon glanced at the clock, a painful shot of adrenaline surging through his body and causing his breath to catch as he noted the time. Stifling a groan he muttered, "That's an hour from now." He didn't even have time to mentally prepare for this. _Just my fucking luck._

Stefan chuckled. "Awe. Chin up, brother. From what I heard from Dad, he's looking forward to having you two working together."

"And why's that?"

"He says she's going to be good for you."

_Good for me? _Damon shook his head, closing his eyes briefly. If he meant Elena being 'good for him' as in being the 'death of him' then, absolutely; Elena Gilbert was going to do fucking wonders for Damon Salvatore. Walking towards the door, he clenched his jaw, forcing the words out. "I'm going to get coffee. I want you out of my office by the time I get back."

Stefan's smirk instantly morphed into a look of patronizing concern. "Damon, you know you shouldn't be –"

"Uh-uh," he said, waggling his finger. "Don't even."

_May 2001_

_"Stop your bitching," Damon chuckled in response to hearing Elena's whining from the kitchen. She'd said she'd needed help with preparing their snacks, but apparently he thought he'd helped her enough for one day. "I told you I wasn't hungry."_

_"Well, I am!" Elena hollered. She shook her head and set one fruit on the cutting board. As she went to make the first cut, she missed. _"_Dammit!" Elena cursed__, dropping the paring knife and clutching her finger on instinct.__ Whoever said that knuckling the knife kept you from slicing your fingers off had been lying through their teeth; she'd nearly done just that._

_She and Damon__ had been doing some intensive studying for their history final when she'd opted for a snack-break. __Freshman year had been a cakewalk thus far, but her history teacher, Mr Tanner was __– as Damon__ had__ so eloquently described him – an assjacket __and his finals counted for a large percentage of her grade. __She'd decided to cut up some fruit when her hand slipped and the knife sliced right into her palm. _

"_Damon!" Elena cried out, scrunching her eyes shut._

_Damon had__ only experienced Tanner's douchebaggery once, when he'd interrupted his class __with a fake summons for Elena from the principal. It had taken Tanner all of__ twenty seconds __to figure out Damon's ruse and give__ them both detention slips for ditching class. The least he could do for her was to help her out with some flash cards. __Her panicked cry__ had him quickly setting his things down on the coffee table__, however,__ to __rush into the kitchen._

"_Is it that hard to –" __He stopped short, taking__ in the sight of a bloodied dishrag and Elena's pale face. "Jesus, what happened?" __he asked, hurrying to her side and reaching for her hand._

"_I, um…I was trying to cut these strawberries and…" she __stammered, her voice a breathy murmur as she struggled for words. "__And…" _

_He carefully peeled away the cloth just as her hand went slack. "Elena?" he murmured worriedly, looking up at her __as__ she began to teeter. __Grabbing her wrist, he caught her as her eyes rolled back in their sockets and her knees buckled from underneath her. "Elena!" he cried in alarm, lowering her carefully to the floor. Stroking__ her hair, __he applied__ pressure to her wound with his free hand. "Come on, babe. Wake up." _

_Relief surged through him a few moments later as t__he brunette frowned and opened her eyes. "Damon?"_

"_Hey there," he grinned, his eyes searching hers. "You okay?"_

_Taking in their position, his face above hers, she looked around. Confusedly, she asked, "I think so…what…are we doing on the ground? What happened?" she questioned, making a quick move to sit up._

"_Easy," he advised, helping her to a sitting position so that she could lean against the island. "You fainted." Looking down at her wounded hand, Damon grimaced. "That looks like it feels good."_

"_I fainted?" she frowned. "That's embarrassing."_

"_You were out like a light for about a minute," he nodded. "You never told me you were squeamish around blood."_

"_Surprise," she muttered sarcastically, wincing when the painful throb of her cut reappeared. "Ugh. Yeah, this hurts."_

"_Come on. Let's go get clean that up." __Helping Elena to her feet, Damon guided her __the sink, __distracting her __with meaningless conversation __as he applied basic first aid to her hand. The wound wasn't so deep that it needed stitches, and it had already stopped bleeding by the time he secured the bandage with some medical tape from the first aid kit. __Grabbing the __bloody knife__, he cleaned it off as he chuckled. __"So basically, blood equals an unconscious Elena."_

"_Basically." _

"_Noted."_

"_Mmm." She reached for the cup of strawberries and held it out to him. "They're good with sugar. Want some?"_

"_I would, but I'm allergic," he admitted, __eyeing the fruit as if it were a hand grenade._

"_Oh come on." Elena rolled her eyes, stepping towards him with the cup of killer fruit. "Seriously?"_

"_Yes! Like, lips-swell and throat-closes allergic." He laughed when she mockingly thrust it in his direction. "Knock it off."_

"_You're really allergic to strawberries?" she gasped. _

"_What, you really didn't know__?" he shrugged when she nodded. "Well, you do now."_

_Elena thought back to the picnics their families had set up __over the years, trying to recall if __she'd never noticed any of the red fruits at attendance. Watermelon, burgers, corn on the cob and other goodies, but…holy shit. How could she have missed that? He'd never once touched the strawberries. "I feel so sorry for you!"_

"_Last one I had was in the first grade. A girl named Anna shared her lunch with me after I left mine on the bus."_

"_I'm sure that went well."_

"_About as well as you'd think," he smirked. "From what I remember, they weren't that great anyway."_

"_You haven't lived!__" she insisted.__ "They're delicious; especially dipped in chocolate."_

"_At least I can enjoy that," he sighed over exaggeratedly, winking when Elena couldn't get over the fact he'd never been and never would be able to enjoy her mother's signature Strawberry Shortcake. It was a favorite amongst the neighborhood. "Lots and lots of chocolate."_

_Elena narrowed her eyes. "Be careful with your answer, Salvatore. Milk chocolate or Dark?"_

"_You should know this, Gilbert. I'm a little disappointed that you don't." _

"_Oh shut up, I may not know your favorite candy, but I know you." Damon nodded; she had a point there. That was more important than knowing which fattening delicacy he chose to indulge in. "So anyway, spill. Milk or Dark?"_

_He shrugged. "Dark for MilkyWay bars, Dark Chocolate Salted-Caramels. Dark chocolate cake, with buttercream frosting, and…" he trailed off, smirking when Elena rolled her eyes. "Have you figured out my answer yet?"_

"_I don't think so," she laughed. "I think I'm confused as to which you prefer."_

"'_I think I'm confused as to which you prefer,'" he mocked jokingly, dodging __the strawberries Elena chucked at him as he backed out of the kitchen and bolted for the front door. She chased after him, running down the hall and out onto the porch before launching herself at him and __landing on his back._

"_Gotcha!" __she crowed, wrapping her arms around his neck as they tumbled to the ground in a heap of laughter, the history notes completely forgotten._

Damon shook the memory away, annoyed that he'd allowed it to sneak up on him. Returning from his coffee break, he took a detour as he got out of the elevator, heading for his father's office rather than his own. Now that he'd had some time for the news of Elena's eminent employment with the firm to sink in, and having been ambushed by memories he'd rather _not _remember, he'd decided that he couldn't do it. He could not work with her. Giuseppe was just going to have to figure out another way to punish him for his transgressions.

Arriving at the closed door to his father's office, Damon knocked, two slow, loud condescending pounds upon the door. Unlike the elder Salvatore, he knew how to be patient and wait for an answer.

The sharp, slightly muffled reply came only a moment later. "Come in."

Opening the door and stepping inside, Damon skipped the preliminaries. "We need to talk."

"If you're here to discuss rehiring that hussy of yours, the answer is no," Giuseppe declared without looking up from his desk.

Annoyed that his father wouldn't even dignify his presence with even a look of acknowledgement, Damon grit his teeth and replied. "Rebekah is no longer employed here and no, I'm not looking for you to rehire her."

Giuseppe continued to stare down at his papers, focusing intently on whatever case it was that he was working on.

Damon sighed. "Elena Gilbert? Really, Dad?"

That finally got his attention. Looking up at his son with a broad smile, his father said, "I see that Stefan spoiled the surprise."

"Surprise?" _More like an ambush_, he thought darkly. "Is this a joke?"

"Of course it's not," Giuseppe said, relaxing into his chair and apparently ready to pay full attention to him. Damon watched as his father laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back. "I have the interview at noon. She's to be applying for one of the paralegal positions."

"As baby bro made obvious. Listen," Damon smirked. "I've got a better idea. Let's…_not_ hire Elena and –"

"No," his father shook his head vehemently. "The last employee I allowed you to hire ended up being a distraction rather than an asset and Elena will be the epitome of the latter."

"You don't know that," Damon challenged, groaning when his father merely raised a smug brow in response. "Don't tell me that you've kept in touch with her?"

"Well, of course I've kept in touch with her," Giuseppe scoffed. "She's practically family, Damon."

"No. No, she isn't."

"Damon –"

"If she's family, then that's all the more reason _not_ to hire her. She's a conflict of interest."

"She's _family_, Damon," Giuseppe pressed. "And you can always trust family. Besides she's young, bright, and eager to learn."

"No," he repeated, trying to keep the desperation from his voice. "No, just let me hire someone… _anyone_ but Elena."

His father stared back impassively before inhaling deeply, as if trying to reign in his temper. "No. You are not permitted to hire anyone else without my permission, son. Nor are you allowed to fire Elena…should she have a successful interview," he added, neatly tying up a loophole that Damon had hoped his father would overlook. His heart sank, knowing with certainty that he was screwed. The man was going to hire her.

And he was hiring her specifically to punish him.

Shaking his head in disgust, Damon turned on his heel and stalked out of the office. If that's how his father wanted to play it, then fine. He'd deal. He'd refuse to give Giuseppe the satisfaction of knowing that his stupid little plan had worked. He'd be all business with Elena – he wouldn't bring up their past, hell he wouldn't even act like he had a clue who she was. Giuseppe, Stefan, Katherine – all of them – could just go fuck themselves.

Damon Salvatore was not going to be made anyone's fool.

Rounding the corner by the elevator lobby, Damon caught a flash of dark hair and olive skin that nearly made his heart stop as he abruptly came to a halt.

_Oh…__fuck__._

Elena Gilbert. The beautiful brunette who'd haunted his memories had just gotten out of the elevator and was moving toward him, closer and closer not yet making note of his presence. She looked exactly as he remembered her – all long legs and luscious curves that made even her boring professional attire look like sin. Staring intently at what looked to be her résumé, she chewed on her lower lip in a way that did insane things to the butterflies in his stomach.

Turned on and doubly pissed off because of it, Damon stood still and said nothing, praying that he'd somehow get lucky and she'd mistake him for a statue.

No such luck.

Elena finally lifted her gaze, coming to a sudden stop as she finally saw him. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she tightened her grip on her resume until it wrinkled in her hands. For several maddening seconds, she stared at him with those beautiful brown eyes he'd seen in his dreams for the past seven years. For one glorious second, he felt like he was back in high school.

In an instant, everything changed.

"Damon," Elena said, her eyes growing hard and cold as she offered him a curt nod.

The single word cut through him, ruining the fragile, nostalgic moment. Reigning in every ounce of self-control he possessed, he managed to speak. "Elena."

_May 2006_

_Having __just finished her freshman year __at Duke, Elena was on the way back to Mystic Falls, more than ready to return home. As much as she'd loved her first year of college, the relentless classwork and __studying __had taken its toll and she'd decided to__ take the summer off before returning __to school in the fall__. _

_She had to admit__, however,__ that a mini-sabbatical from her studies __wasn't the only thing pulling her back to her hometown._

_Elena missed Damon._

_She hadn't seen him in months – not since he'd surprised her by showing up on campus one random weekend in December – having __made up excuses for why she had to stay in Durham during the major holidays __to avoid the Salvatore/Gilbert combined holiday celebrations. __Thanksgivings were spent at the Gilbert's home while Christmas and New Years' __were__ at the Salvatore's and Elena couldn't bear to see __the__ heartbroken look on his face. She__'d__ only __made it__ home for her birthday, and even then she hadn't stayed long._

_After eighteen years of being practically joined at the hip, the separation had become unbearable – but it had helped Elena figure out a few things. _

_The most important being that she loved him. _

_The second being that she was sorry – so sorry for reacting the way she had when he'd told her how he felt the day she'd left for Duke. _

_Elena had had plenty of time to think about that afternoon, to question her actions and words and wonder what would have happened if she'd simply told Damon the truth – that she'd loved him and that she'd probably been _in _love with him as well. Their parents had always joked about the two of them getting together, had embarrassed them both at countless family and town functions about why they'd been wasting time when they so obviously belonged together. _

_Now she was asking herself the same question – why had they waited so long? _

Our timing was off, _she told herself, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she drove past the Mystic Falls city limits sign on the edge of town. She'd been leaving for school hundreds of miles away and Damon had been staying put. She hadn't been ready to change the nature of her relationship with the most important person in her life – not that day and not in December – but now she knew that she was ready. _

_Ready to be with Damon and to make it work no matter what happened. Elena needed him in her life. _

_Too__ excited to tell Damon and to hear his response, Elena __drove straight to the Salvatore house, barely taking the time to turn off her car before leaping out of it and running __up the __front __steps. __Pounding__ on __the__ front door with enthusiasm, __she shouted his name,__ grabbing hold of the door latch and twisting it without waiting for an answer. "Damon!" _

_Silence answered her as she q__uickly __checked__ each room __on the first floor__ before flying up the stairs to the second, __calling out to him as she went__. Throwing__ open__ the door to his bedroom open__, she came__ to a screeching halt __as __the gigantic grin that'd been plastered on her face fell from her lips at the sight before her. Feeling as if someone had kicked her in the stomach__, she struggled to breathe._

_Damon__ was in bed, wedged in between two women __she vaguely recognized from high school__, __and completely oblivious to her presence. They writhed in ecstasy as__ Damon thrust into __the sandy blonde with smooth, sure strokes and __used his fingers to __pleasure the redhead__. Gasps, moans, and pleasured groans filled her ears before Elena let out a broken gasp. Damon's head snapped to attention, looking at her with wide eyes and his jaw went slack, breathing raggedly._

"_Elena," he panted, __too shocked to do anything other than stare__. _

What the fuck is she doing here?

_Damon hadn't seen or heard from Elena in months and suddenly she's standing in front of him – the definition of a blast from the past – with the audacity to look disgusted. _

"_I'm…I…oh my god," she cried, a hand flying to her mouth as she turned around and fled from the room. Acting on impulse, Damon __quickly untangled himself from the __women in his bed, reaching__ for the first article of clothing he could find. _

"_Where are you going?" the redhead whined. "Come back."_

"_We were having so much fun," the __blonde__ purred breathlessly. _

_Ignoring their protests as he threw on his boxers, Damon mentally cursed himself for __chasing after a woman who'd taken his heart and metaphorically thrown it into a wood-chipper, but he couldn't just let her leave. After all, this wasn't just any girl… _

"_Elena!" he yelled, chasing her down the staircase and out onto the front lawn, __heedless of his state of undress in his haste to catch up to her. She stopped in the middle of the lawn, her chest heaving as she kept her back to him. His panic at her retreat __spun on a dime, quickly morphing into rage. The last time they'd seen each other had been one of mixed emotions, but she'd made it perfectly clear where they'd stood on the matter. __Now, s__he __showed up without warning__, looking ashamed and disappointed – __two things he definitely _didn't _need from the supposed best friend who'd rejected him._

"_What the fuck are you doing here?" he __demanded__, grabbing Elena by her wrist and whirling her around to face him. __Pulling __her so close that they were nearly nose-to-nose, __he tightened his grip for balance as his head started to spin and his heart pounded in his chest. __"Elena."_

"_You're hurting me!" she cried angrily, and he dropped his hand the second he saw pain in her eyes. She shook her head and had Damon not been so pissed – or dizzy – he would have felt bad about her being equally upset. "God, who _are_ you?" _

"_What are you_ doing_ here?" he asked again, a sharp edge in his voice. "Answer my question so we can both get out of this relatively-painlessly."_

"_What were you…who were those…" she trailed off, her gaze darting between him and the house as she stared at him as if she barely recognized him. Tears filled her eyes as she shook her head at him. __"The Damon I knew –"_

_Damon cut her off with a cold laugh. "The Damon you knew? Honey, he is _long_ gone,"__ he sneered angrily.__ "It's been months, Elena. You didn't honestly believe I'd still be the lovesick puppy you left behind, did you?"_

"_I didn't think you'd be such a __man-whore__, that's for sure!" she __retorted, glaring at him in betrayal as tears fell down her cheeks. __"Those __sluts__ are –"_

"_You __don't get__ to call them __that," he said, cutting her off with an angry shake of his head. He hadn't necessarily wanted his former best friend to see him in bed with two former members of the Mystic Falls cheerleading squad, but what he did in his bedroom was his business – Elena had made it quite clear that she wasn't interested in being a part of it. "You__ don't know them and you sure as hell don't know me, Gilbert. Not anymore."_

_She blinked as if she'd been slapped, her anger momentarily dissipating. __"I'm sorry..." _

"_Don't be," __he said coldly, crossing his arms over his chest. "__I told you __that__ I loved you – __twice – and you said __no __both times __so, hey," he laughed bitterly. "I moved on. You have zero right to complain about who I choose to spend my time with now."_

"_So, what? Do you want me to be proud of you?__" __she demanded, bristling at the chastisement. "Well, congratu-fucking-lations Damon, you've finally succeeded in nailing the entire Varsity cheerleading squad."_

"_Look at whose bitch-dial is turned all the way up," he chuckled darkly, __unable to help but enjoy her pain after all of the agony she'd put him through__. "J__ealous__, babe?"_

"_Don't make me sick," Elena retorted, scoffing as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "As if I'd ever want to be with you."_

"_You did once," he sneered, __raising a brow as he worked overtime to keep the memory at bay. He couldn't let her know how much his second failed attempt had wrecked him. __"__I think w__e're done here." _

_Elena gawked at him __as__ he turned away. "Don't turn your back on me, Damon!" she hissed. "We __are _not_ finished!"_

"_Oh, __I think we are,__" he nodded pausing mid-step and looking over his shoulder, __his __eyes__ electric with a harsh finality as his lips pulled into a cruel __grin__. __"And I have two ladies waiting upstairs that still _need_ to finish, so if you'll excuse me." _

_Turning around, he stalked up the steps and entered his home, slamming the door in Elena's face as her __heart ripped in half. She no longer saw her best friend in his eyes; the one who__'d__ constantly protected her, brought laughter and joy out of her, and loved her. __He'd__ been right. _

_The Damon that __she'd__ known all her life was gone._

Elena stared at him for a long moment, before offering him a small, tentative smile that he'd been careful _not _to return. Still, she nodded her head and said a single word in greeting. "Damon."

"Elena," he replied, snapping out of his reverie as the word fell from his lips one syllable at time. He hated the way that the sight of her made his heart twist. He had no intention of treating her like a friend, let alone a best friend. The memory of their prolonged fallout outweighed the happier memories where he'd stupidly misconstrued her feelings for him all those years ago.

_I was such an idiot._

Elena tilted her chin and stared him down, pride lighting her eyes as she realized he wasn't going to be friendly. God, she was still as beautiful as the last time he'd seen her; though she was taller and she'd grown into her curves. He had to keep his eyes glued to her face so that it didn't travel to two very specific parts of her hour-glass frame.

Everything that Damon had ever tried to hold at bay came rushing back to him as he stared into her eyes, making him tense. Hardening his gaze, he gave her a once over and raised a brow. "So tell me, who'd you have to sleep with to get an interview at S&S?"

"Excuse me?" she replied, managing to stand up even straighter and hold herself even more rigidly at his cruel taunt.

Damon shrugged, regaining some of his footing as he threw her off balance. "You heard me," he said, completely unapologetic.

"God, you haven't changed a bit, have you?" Elena scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder as if to brush away the insult.

"Oh, on the contrary," he replied, grinning in a way that contradicted the bitterness in his voice. "I'm meaner now."

"Joy," she said wryly. "Look, Damon, can't we just…call a truce? When we work together, I'd like for us to be professional about this."

"When? You mean _if_," he corrected, taking pleasure in reminding her of the cold, hard facts. "Your position here isn't a done deal yet. Nothing is set in stone."

_Not if __I have __anything to do about it_, he decided. There was no way they were going to be able to work in the same space, in the same part of the building. The thought of having to see her every day was enough to make his stomach roll_._ "What makes you think you could hack it anyway?"

"Years of hard work," she retorted airily, but there was a slight catch in her voice, betraying a shred of doubt.

Damon pounced on it.

He stepped closer, enjoying the way she swallowed under his heavy scrutiny. "You got a little certification saying you can be a Paralegal?" he mocked. "It doesn't mean anything. Doesn't mean he's going to hire you as a lawyer once – if – you pass your Bar exam." Damon knew perfectly well he was being harsh, but he would not allow this woman to become a co-worker of his. He'd chase her away if he had to.

"Stop it," she frowned, lifting her wrist and glancing at the time. "I need to prepare myself for my interview."

"The room's right there," he said, jabbing his index finger in the direction of the closed door located directly across from the elevator. "Well?" he asked when she showed no signs of moving. _Huh_. Maybe this would be easier than he thought. Maybe she'd chicken out. "What are you waiting for?"

Elena stared at Damon. He hadn't changed much in seven years – even the look of abject disdain was identical to the one he'd worn on his front lawn all of those years ago when they'd fallen apart for good. Time had clued her into the fact that he'd been as hurt as she'd been that night, and judging from his overt – and successful – attempts at intimidating her, he hadn't gotten over it.

_Neither have I, _she realized even as she vowed not to let him ruin this opportunity. Lifting her shoulders, she said quietly. "I guess nothing."

Turning on her heel, Elena walked over to the door that had a plate titled _Giuseppe Salvatore _nailed into the wood and knocked. Damon, through her peripheral vision, merely glared at her coldly, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of showing the pain she was feeling within. He would gloat and say something cruel if she showed weakness. All Elena had to do was get through the interview, and then she could go home and fall apart without being watched by a hateful pair of blue eyes.

"Elena?" She glanced at him as he smirked. "Good luck," he sang scornfully.

The stupid smirk made her blood boil, as Giuseppe finally answered the door and ushered her inside giving his son a disapproving frown that caused Damon to stiffen. She hurriedly walked through the door, determined to prove that she belonged at Salvatore & Salvatore.

Damon's glacier blue eyes followed Elena until she disappeared into his father's office, his body going rigid as Giuseppe shook his head with disapproval at him. He was good at his job, one of the best, and yet the man never gave Damon credit where it was due. He could have prosecuted the world's most dangerous criminal and won and Giuseppe would have said it took him too long to convince the jury.

Once the door finally closed, Damon let out a breath he hadn't realized that he'd been holding. He could only hope that Elena screwed up, said the wrong thing so that his father would come to his senses and _wouldn't_ bring her into the firm. He couldn't work with her. He could not be around her again; these last five minutes had been hell on his mind, as well as on his heart…and that was the last thing he needed. He couldn't imagine having her around every minute of the work day – not when she still had so much power over him.

_Power. _Damon snorted as he realized he needed to stop fighting the inevitable. Giuseppe had all of the power and the old man knew the pain that Elena had caused him. There was no way that she wasn't getting the job.

He needed a plan. If he had to suffer through the pain of being around her – if they were going to work together every goddamn day – he'd have to do whatever it took to make sure Elena felt the same.

* * *

_**AN:** Thank you so much for reading & please review! ~Kate_


	3. It's time, I'm moving on

**_AN:_** _You guys continue to make my d__ay. Thank you to those of you who've reviewed. I've finally got an outline for this story, so chapters should be coming faster. I have the 4th and 5th nearly finished. Here it is! Enjoy! ~Kate_

_A big thank you, as always, goes to Mariah. You are a brilliant beta!_

_P.S. There's a quote in here from_ The Amazing Spider-Man_. Points to you if you can locate it!_

* * *

Elena braced herself before entering Damon's office. Raising her fist to knock against the door, she nearly smiled as a memory struck her before nerves threatened to overtake her once again.

_March 2004_

_Waltzing through the doorway to Damon's room, Elena smiled as he cocked a brow. He was by his dresser, apparently trying to figure out something to wear when he saw her move about his room as though she lived there. _

"_There's this new method called knocking," he quipped with a sideways grin. "You could maybe…oh, I don't know, try it sometime?"_

"_Nah," she responded continuing to move about before squealing with laughter when he grabbed her, lifted her into his arms and then threw her onto the bed. "I'm good," she smiled, bracing herself on her elbows as he moved closer._

"_You're good, huh?" he chuckled, enjoying the way she laughed so hard that the sound was silent as he continued to __dig his fingers into her ribs__. "How about now?"_

"_St-stop!" she gasped, her __grin__ threatening to split her face in two as she tried feebly to fight him off of her. "I'll knock n-next time!" Damon released her and she smacked him away, rolling her eyes. "What are you doing tonight?"_

_Pulling away, he __climbed off of the bed, moving towards his dresser. "Think I'm just gonna take it easy tonight."_

"_Great. There's a movie I want to see. It's been nominated for an Academy Award. Come with."_

"_Eh."_

"'_Eh?'" she scoffed. "What is 'eh?'"_

"_Eh."_

"_Whatever. Fine,__" Elena waived a hand dismissively, launching into an explanation of the movie's storyline in hopes that he'd decide to go with her. She didn't want to go by herself. "S__o, what do you think?" she __demanded__ when he didn't answer, watching him carefully as he adjusted the navy and crimson red sleeves of his plaid button-up. "You, me, and a bucket of popcorn, what do you say?"_

_Damon shrugged, looking at himself in the mirror as he adjusted his collar. "Any other day, I'd say yes." He eyed her reflection, __taking in her crestfallen features __and he sighed heavily. "Don't look at me like that."_

"_You've got a date, don't you?" she huffed, flopping backwards on his bed and staring up at the ceiling._

"_Yeah," he __admitted__, moving to sit on the edge of the mattress and shrugging. "I think, if tonight goes well, I'll be on the fast track to dating the head cheerleader."_

_Indignant__, __Elena shifted__ her gaze to stare at him questioningly. She didn't get it. She really didn't get it. The girl was a popularity ladder-climbing bitch that dated a new guy every week. __If worrying about his getting hurt weren't enough, __she really didn't want Damon to__ start ignoring__ her. "What's so great about Hayley Sanders anyway?"_

_Lying back on the mattress, he looked at her and said with deadly seriousness. __"Her ass."_

_Elena made a sound of disgust and shoved him. __"Gross,__" she said, rolling her eyes and trying not to blush. _

"_And she's got a pretty nice rack, too."_

"_Ew," she shuddered, sitting up and scrunching her face at him, trying to __hang onto her indignation and __stifle her laughter. "Stop it. I don't want to hear that." _

_He snickered. "Oh, come on, little prude." _

"_I'm not a prude, Damon!" she snapped__, real anger bleeding into her tone. Damon's smirk disappeared as he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. Swallowing, she quickly crossed her arms over her chest and added. __"What? __I'm not." _

_Damon stared at her, his suspicion morphing rapidly into surprise and anger. "Who?" he demanded, his voice a low growl. __"Who was he?"_

_Elena swallowed thickly, __pushing a__ rebellious tendril of hair behind her ear and avoiding his intense blue-eyed scrutiny. __She hadn't simply forgotten to tell Damon about losing her virginity, she'd very specifically _not _told him in order to avoid this very conversation. __"Someone on the football team…it's not like it meant anything."_

"_When the hell was this?"_

_She bit her lip and grumbled, growing irritated with his pestering. She should've just let her tease him and kept her mouth shut. He'd always sort of teased her when it came to relationships, and it was one of the reasons she figured he'd never give her a second look. She'd been 'pure,' and now that she wasn't, she wanted him to know it…but she hadn't counted on this sort of response. _

"_Last year. At one of Tyler's parties…it wasn't a big deal. Don't worry about it, Damon."_

"_I _know _the guys on the football team, Elena," he countered. "And you're my best friend. Of course, I'm going to worry about it. __Who was he? Did he take care of you, did you use –"_

"_Damon!" she __cried__, __absolutely mortified. __ "Enough already. I don't want to talk about this anymore."_

_Elena was sure that he was going to argue and play Big Brother, demanding to know the who, what, where and why, but after a few tense seconds, his shoulders slumped. __"Alright, I'm sorry," he said, __sounding anything but. Her heart would have soared if she thought it meant anything more in the Jealous Best Friend category instead of…brotherly. __"Why didn't you tell me, though?"_

_Elena gaped at him. __"Damon!" __It wasn't any of his business and his brown jumped as that understanding dawned on his features. _

"_Fine…fine. I'll lay off," Damon __said, holding up his hands as a smirk danced across his features. __ "__But the next guy you're with better be more than a "no big deal" or I'm going to tickle you until you tell me who he is so that I can kick his ass.__" _

_Elena grinned, nodding at him as she tried to stifle the hope __that the next time she was in that position, it __could__ be him. _

_She knew __that __it wouldn't be. _

"_Just like I'm planning on making it special for Hayley__," Damon sighed, leaning back on the mattress and wiggling__ his eyebrows playfully. "She'll make me work for it, but it'll be worth it. Candles, bubbles, the whole nine yards."_

"_Great," Elena __replied around the lump in her throat__. She hated that she __felt__ like a jealous girlfriend__, but she couldn't help it when it came to Damon. __ No girl was good enough for him __and she tested every one he took out. She couldn't help _that _either. _

_Admittedly, she __had a thing for her best friend. _

"_Hey, Elena," Damon punched her lightly on her shoulder. __"You know you're the number one girl in my life, right?"_

"_And you're the number one guy in __mine," she replied, forcing a smile. It was a light crush, a silly and not-that-serious infatuation that she knew she'd never explore. "Who__ happens to take out other girls."_

"_Do I need to say it again?" he asked, nudging her thigh with the back of his hand and causing her eyes to meet his. Elena shrugged and he smirked. "You're never going to lose me. And I won't lose you either. I need you."_

* * *

Sitting at his desk, organizing a stack of papers, Damon suddenly stopped. _What the hell am I doing?_ he wondered, shuffling them up and splattering them all over his desk again for the _newbie_ to clean up.

This would be where it started.

He'd make her tasks light, harmless – albeit annoying – but easily doable. And then, over time, they'd gradually get more and more daunting. He planned on having to suffer through her presence for no longer than a month. He'd have her out on her ass – by whose will, Giuseppe's, Damon's or even Elena's, it didn't matter.

He tensed as a soft knock sounded on the door, prompting him to spin in his chair so that he was facing his laptop, his back to the door. "Come on in."

"Mr. Salvatore?" Elena Gilbert, the brand spanking new employee of Salvatore & Salvatore, poked her head into the room.

_Mr. Salvatore? _What the hell was that about? Glancing over his shoulder, Damon sneered. "I suppose a 'Congratulations' is in order."

Turning slowly in his chair, he took in Elena's appearance for the first time since being blindsided by her arrival. He wondered how she _really _felt about working with him, about answering to him.

Elena, for her part, was wondering what kind of drugs she'd been on when she'd convinced herself that she could work in the same office as the one-time love of her life. Damon's electric blue irises, strong jaw and devilish smirk still made her stomach do cartwheels. He looked like the boy she'd once felt so strongly about, like the boy she'd been able to tell anything, but she knew that he was gone. This wasn't her best friend. He hadn't been for a long time. The man who sat before her now had tried to chase her away, intimidate her into running out on her interview with his father.

If she was going to work here, work her way up the corporate ladder, then she was going to have to shut off any and all residual feelings she harbored for Damon Salvatore.

"We both know you wouldn't mean it," she threw back, earning a raised brow from her new boss. She wasn't going to let him treat her that way; she was going to simply give what he dished out.

Boss or no boss.

He shrugged, sitting up straighter in his chair. "And you would be right, so let's get to it." Gesturing to the mess on his desk he explained how he wanted each case sorted, filed alphabetically and chronologically and then transcribed and copied.

"That could take hours," Elena murmured, her eyes wide as she took in the mess. Damon nodded, a grin breaking out over his features as he rose and walked toward her.

"Exactly."

"But-."

"What did you think you'd be doing here?" he asked with a smirk. "Sitting next to me at trial? You're not a lawyer, Elena. Paralegals don't practice law," he reminded her, his grin widening at the blush that stained her cheeks. Pulling his jacket off of the coat hanger located by the door, he shrugged into it. "Have fun."

"Damon!" she hissed, and he turned around – she sounded angry…_good. _That's exactly how he wanted her.

"You'd better hurry," he drawled, already halfway out of the door. "I need you."

Elena's gut twisted at the phrase, a cruel reminder of happier times. Straightening her shoulders, she took a deep breath. "Is all this work really all that necessary for my first day?" The grin he sent her way was answer enough. She scoffed, shaking her head angrily and grabbed the closest stack of papers. "When I finally get all this done, I'm going to need a drink – or twelve."

"Oh, honey," Damon laughed as he walked away. "We both know you could never hold your liquor."

_September 2004_

_The Lockwood __house__ was full of smoke, cheap perfume and wasted teens. Music was bumping and Elena and Damon were laughing with their peers as they tried to win a close game of beer pong. Their opponents were Matt Donovan and Caroline Forbes, longtime couple and close friends of Elena._

_It was Elena's turn. Damon held a ping pong ball out to her and when she went to grab it, he yanked it out of her reach._

"_Damon!" she whined, giggling and swaying towards him. __Placing his hands on her hips to stabilize her, he chuckled at her as her next words ran together. __"Don't be an ass." __Wiggling __his eyebrows__, he__ smirked and surrendered the plastic ball. Elena took aim at the lone red party cup._

"_Don't screw up!" Matt laughed, playfully mocking her from the far end of the table. __Rolling her glassy eyes, she closed one of them in preparation to make her shot again. _

"_You've got this," Damon whispered into her ear, his voice causing the hairs on her neck to stand on end. __Keeping a hand on the small of her back, he pulled away so __she could take the shot. When she missed, he chuckled. "Or not."_

_Caroline then __took__ her shot, __sinking __it into the little plastic cup. She and Matt cheered in victory._

"_Damn," Elena slurred with a smile__, reaching for the __beer-filled cup from the corner but Damon blocked her. "What are you doing?" she hiccupped, her eyes alight with annoyance. "I missed. I have to drink."_

"_Nope."_

"_Damon, she has to," Donovan explained lightly with a goofy grin as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. "Rules of the game and all."_

"_I don't think so," Damon chided, bending down to __meet__ Elena's gaze, __knowing that__ she was far too obliterated to continue. "She's had enough to drink for tonight." Her eyes were droopy and her stance was unstable; she'd probably have been on the floor had it not been for her flimsy grip on the edge of the ping pong table._

"_What?" Elena gasped melodramatically, shaking her head. "I haven't had enough!" she cheered, bouncing on her toes, smiling widely before her expression morphed into a pained grimace. "Ugh," she moaned, frowning and placing a hand on her stomach. _

"_You okay?" Damon asked, glaring __as__ the couple they'd been playing started bitching for her to drink so they could continue the game. She shook her head, closing her eyes and swallowing thickly. _

"_I don't… I don't feel so good." _

_Like clockwork, she lurched and threw herself from the party and bolted for the bathroom._

"_Where's Elena going?"_

"_She's trying to find a toilet before __she pukes all __over your floor," Damon said snidely, chasing after her with a final parting shot. "Aren't you glad I didn't let her take that drink?" _

_Damon found the bathroom door partially open and heard Elena heaving into the toilet. Opening the door further, he found her gripping the white porcelain as she emptied her stomach of the contents of her first drinking binge. _

"_Elena?" _

_He knocked on the door lightly before crouching at her side and putting his hand on her back. She moaned, leaning into him as he pulled the hair off of her neck and held it back so that she wouldn't end up with chunks in her long locks. __As she heaved again, he winced. _

"_You're okay, boozey," he soothed, doing his best to keep the chuckling to a minimum._

_When he failed, she whimpered a soft, "I hate you," into the toilet._

"_I told you not to chase Mike's Lemonade with Smirnoff, didn't I?"_

"_I don't need an…" she groaned, barely able to get the words out as she retched into the bowl again. He rubbed soothing circles into her back with his free hand. Wiping her mouth, she rested her damp forehead on her arm. "Dammit, Damon, I don't need an 'I told you so.'"_

"_Okay," Damon agreed, adding a cheeky, "But I did tell you, so…"_

"_Shut up. I couldn't find a water bottle anywhere and the Lemonade tasted better with the Green Apple," she muttered, pulling away and leaning against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut. "I feel like crap."_

"_I should have been more careful,__" he said apologetically. "__Should've kept a better eye on you."_

_He'd been invited by Tyler's big brother __Mason and had actually taken Hayley, but__ when he__'d__ found Elena dancing with his friend's little brother, he cut in and told his girlfriend he had something he needed to take care of – a naïve little brunette who had him tightly wrapped around her finger._

"_Yeah, well…it was going to happen eventually," she grumbled before looking at him, her eyes fluttering heavily. "Your peer pressuring finally __bent my __will of steel." Elena gave him a wan smile and tried to stand on her wobbly, alcohol-affected legs. _

_He tugged her upwards, doing so a little too quickly. He looped his arm around her waist as she fell __against him__. Elena looked up at Damon as he grinned down at her. "Easy. You alright?"_

"_Mhmm."_

"_Good…and I did not peer pressure anyone," he winked. "I merely suggested. You didn't have to go along with it."_

"_But," she mumbled, as she leaned her head against her chest. "I did. And now I'm paying for it in spades."_

_Damon couldn't suppress a snort. "You'll be fine. Want me to take you home?" he asked. _

_Damon, though he often came off as someone who liked to get trashed every weekend, wasn't that big of a drinker. Medication and alcohol don't mix and he preferred to stay out of the hospital if he could help it. __Though h__e indulged every now and then, __he'd __stayed sober all night and it was a good thing too, seeing that Elena was obviously unable to drive herself._

"_I can take you h…" he trailed off, rolling his eyes after seeing that she'd passed out cold. As he held her in his arms, he sighed and pushed her tangled hair off of her forehead, bending down to press his lips to it. "You're going to be regretting __this __tomorrow morning, beautiful." _

_As the sun rose and light spilled through the window, the sound of Elena's __low __moan __coaxed__ Damon out of sleep. __Craning his neck toward the bed, he saw that she was still asleep. __The longer she slept the less of a chance she would wake up to a splitting headache. _

Ha_, Damon mused, thinking back to how much – for her tiny frame – she had downed the night before. _Fat chance.

_A few minutes later he stretched out his arms, cursing himself for sleeping on the __too small window seat __instead of crashing on the floor. He'd seen Elena use it as a make-shift bed before when he, Elena, Caroline, Matt, and Rose had __arranged __a study session, with Caroline and Rose falling asleep on her bed. He and Matt had crashed on the floor, stealing the pillows from the bed; even though it was uncomfortable, it was like sleeping on clouds compared to that damn window seat._

_Rolling off of it, __Damon __bit back a groan on his way __to the bathroom and grabbed the rinse cup located by her toothbrush, filling it with water. She'd be dehydrated without a doubt and was in for a rough hangover, especially after chasing alcohol with alcohol. He'd been a good chaperone for her though, making sure she didn't drink too much of what she insisted on having, staying by her side as she threw it all up, and making sure the sleaze balls stayed the hell away from her._

_Returning, h__e sat on the edge of her bed, cup in hand. "Elena," he called, __tucking__ a strand of hair behind her ear. When that failed, he shook her gingerly, and then with a little more oomph before she began to stir. "Elena."_

"_Mmm," she frowned, wincing at the tone of his voice. "Too loud, Damon. You're too loud," she muttered hoarsely._

"_Rise and shine, sleepyhead. I have water for you," he __said__ quietly, snickering when she frowned and hid her face in her pillow. "You need to drink something. Come on, sit up."_

_Slowly __propping herself__ against __the__ headboard, Elena took a deep breath, __grimacing__ again. "Is this what a hangover feels like?" she asked, __taking__ the __offered __cup. "God, this is worse than last night." She began to guzzle it and Damon's eyes widened._

"_Easy. Take small sips; don't just gulp it down like that."_

"_Why?"_

"_Do you want to spend more quality time with the toilet?" he asked, __raising a brow. Elena shook her head, hissing __at the pain the motion caused. "I didn't think so."_

"_What are you doing here?" she wondered, handing __him__ the cup and sinking back down into her mattress as she pulled the covers up to her chin. "You stayed here all night?"_

_Damon nodded__, setting__ the __water__ on her nightstand. "Yeah."_

"_What did my parents say?" she gasped suddenly. "My parents! Damon, did they –"_

"_I told them someone had spiked your __drink," he assured her, stroking her hair. "You're__ fine; they still think you're their perfect __angel__."_

"_Thank you," she whispered, __closing her eyes in relief__. "They would have been furious with me."_

"_Grayson believed me, but I don't think Miranda bought a word of what I was selling," __Damon admitted. "She was pissed."_

_Shaking her head, she laughed, his words distracting her from the __hangover__. "Yeah, well. My mom wasn't a poster child, so she probably thinks I did what I actually did."_

_Crossing his arms over his chest, Damon smirked. "So…"_

"_So…what?" Elena asked, __opening an eye__ when he didn't elaborate further. "Are you going to say __something__ or what?"_

"_Was it worth it?"_

"_Getting drunk?" she shook her head when he nodded. "I mean, it was fun at the time, but now? Now, I feel like an elephant is sitting on my head…"_

"_Sex helps." He laughed at the way her eyes bugged out of her sockets and her face blushed a brilliant shade of red. "What? It's true."_

"_I'm not having sex with you, Damon." She grimaced and buried her face in her hands. "That would make things weird. Never."_

"_Pfft," he scoffed, unable to fight the grin that broke out over his face. "Your loss."_

"_God, my head hurts." _

"_Learned your lesson, huh?"_

"_Oh, yeah."_

"_Figured as much," he grinned, flashing his eyes at her. "But, I could help with that."_

"_Shut up."_

"_Okay, okay," he conceded._

"_But, Damon."_

"_Yeah?" he questioned, observing her with raised brows._

_Forgetting the pain for a moment, Elena smiled, true and genuine. __"Thanks for looking out for me."_

Chasing Damon out into the hall, Elena fumed. "It was my first time drinking," she reminded him, pointing an angry finger at his retreating back. "You let me get out of control."

"You were having fun, though," he smirked, turning around and walking backward for a few paces. "Besides…that next time wasn't any better. You still got shitfaced."

Folding her arms, Elena raised a brow. "Yes, but if I remember correctly, you were just as wasted as I was that time."

"And we both remember how it ended," he snapped, all humor evaporating as he stopped moving and threw up the walls once again.

"Speaking of…" Elena said, lifting her chin under Damon's blistering gaze. "How's that arrhythmia treating you?"

Predictably, he bristled at the question. Elena shook her head sadly at his pride and refusal to acknowledge the devotion and kindness she'd shown him during her winter semester where he'd surprised her, having hoped to – at the very least – rekindle their friendship. It didn't surprise her that he chose to focus on the memory of what else had happened that night, instead.

_December 2005_

_Finally after three and a half months of a strenuous adjustment to freshman life at Duke, and after completing her semester finals, Elena's winter break had officially started. __She and her roommate had decided to celebrate by attending a frat party near their dorm. _

_This time, however, she was going to play it smart. No binging on alcohol like she had during her senior year of high school. _

_Elena was just finishing up with blow-drying her hair when she vaguely heard her roommate calling her name from the other side of the door. She set the device down and __opened the door so__ that Bonnie could come in. _

"_Hey, Elena."_

"_Hi, Bon." Elena reached for her eye-shadow palette and asked, "So, what do you think? Neutral or smoky?"_

"_Smoky. The lighting will be dim; you'll want to make sure your eyes stand out." When she nodded, Bonnie asked, "This whole frat house thing has freaking me out."_

"_Why?"_

"_I don't know," the girl shrugged. "I just have a feeling something big is going to happen."_

"_Well, I hope so," Elena laughed after finishing her right eye. "It's our first college frat party!" _

"_Hot guys," Bonnie said seriously. "There'd better be hot guys."_

"_Don't you dare go and ditch me when someone starts hitting on you."_

"_Nah. They'll be too focused on you."_

_Elena rolled her eyes and finished up her left lid. _

_After she completed her look, she threw on a pair of dark jeans, a short-sleeved navy blue swing top that __showed off__ just enough _c_leavage that showed she was up for having fun, but not enough so that people would assume she was up for having too much. "Do you know if there's a theme?"_

"_Something having to do with hips?" Bonnie asked__, raising a brow__ and __giggling__ at Elena's face. "What? I didn't come up with it."_

"_Right. Well, I'm all set, let's get going," she said eagerly, reaching for her keys and wallet before shoving it into her back pocket. __Throwing the door open, she stumbled back a few steps as she took in the __dark-haired boy staring back at her with his hand raised in a fist. "Damon," she breathed._

"_Hi there," he smirked __a little hesitantly.__ "I was going to knock. You beat me to it." His eyes drifted over her shoulder and he waved flirtatiously at the girl behind Elena. "Who's your friend?"_

"_Bonnie Bennett," she responded curtly with a raised brow. "Who are you?"_

"_Damon Salvatore." __His gaze softened as he met Elena's. Taking a deep breath, he asked. __"Can we talk?"_

"_I'm sure we _can_," she muttered derisively._

"_Elena…" __Damon__ tried, __fighting __to keep the biting tone from __his voice__. _

_He __wasn't__ there to cause a problem or to exacerbate the current one; he simply wanted to reconcile their friendship. He'd been hasty in disappearing on her __before__, leaving her to drive to Durham on her own while her parents were on business trips. Elena's mother was an author and spent the majority of her time doing book tours while her father, Grayson, couldn't get that day off to help her load up and pack. Damon knew better than to assume Elena would have jumped into his arms like he'd fantasized after realizing what her leaving for Duke would mean for him. _

"_I don't know," she said warily and Damon swallowed._

"_Please."_

_Looking over her shoulder and seeing her roommate give a subtle nod, Elena looked back at Damon. "Okay."_

"_I'll meet you there, Elena."_

"_I'll only be a few minutes."_

"_Take your time," Bonnie smiled before brushing past her friend and the good-looking guy she'd just met. _

_Once they were alone, __Damon__ could feel the tension rolling off of her in waves. "I just need thirty seconds."_

"_Twenty-nine. You're wasting time."_

"_I miss you."_

_She wasn't sure where he was going, but her heart was twisting and she felt the butterflies in her stomach going insane. If she weren't so excited to see him she'd be throwing up from nerves. "Yeah, well…you could have fooled me…"_

"_I was an idiot," he __confessed__, looking down at his feet and jamming his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "I ambushed you when you were getting ready to leave for Duke. Just because things didn't go the way I'd hoped they would, doesn't mean I can live without you in my life, Elena. I need you in my life. I miss you, babe."_

_Elena's lower lip trembled and before she knew it she __threw__ her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I miss you, too, Damon. You have no idea how much I've missed you."_

"_Then __I'm glad I came out here," he spoke into her hair, his arms __wrapped__ around her waist. "I almost didn't."_

"_I'm glad you didn't listen to yourself," she giggled, pulling away from him and staring up at him through her lashes. "There's a party tonight. You wanna come?"_

_The walk to the fraternity house wasn't as awkward as either of them might have expected. They'd caught up on news of __each other's__ families for the most part. His mother, Lydia, was still as coddling as ever while his father continued to be his neglectful self, paying more attention to his little brother than him. Miranda and Grayson were doing decent enough while trying to come to terms with the fact that their little girl had grown up and was living on her own and in college. Damon explained to Elena that he'd caught Hayley with the captain of the football team, so needless to say – they were over._

"_I'm sorry," Elena said, glancing at him and Damon shrugged._

"_Don't be. She wasn't anything special. Just a mindless, meaningless plaything."_

"_You'll find someone who's worthy of you, Damon," she said softly and he looked down at her, ignoring the pang of longing in his heart. Catching the look before he could mask it, she frowned. "Crap, Damon…"_

"_It's fine," he nodded. "Really." She bit her lip and looked away, but he nudged her. Looking up at him, he smiled. "Really."_

_As they made their way up the pathway to the __fraternity__ house, he grabbed her elbow. "Sure you can handle this? Last time the alcohol handed you your ass."_

_Elena nodded. "I've got Bonnie to take care of me. Don't worry about it." _

"_Bonnie?" he scoffed. "You trust her?"_

"_Why wouldn't I?" _

"_I guarantee that when we step through that door we're going to see her dancing up against some idiotic frat __guy," Damon insisted. "She'll__ have completely forgotten about you."_

"_No," she shook her head, eyes filled with doubt. "You think?"_

"_How much do you want to bet?"_

_Elena twisted her mouth to the side, considering. "Okay," she said, narrowing her gaze at her newly returned best friend. His warm countenance had her heart doing cartwheels. It felt incredible to have him back in her life. She'd missed him, but she hadn't realized just how much until he was right there in front of her. "__If you win, then the next time I have a break, I'll come see you. Lose? And you come visit me again."_

"_I'll take those odds," he smirked causing Elena to scrunch her nose at him. "So you and I are good?"_

"_We're good," she smiled brightly, reaching for his hand and squeezing it._

_Damon looked down to their clasped palms and pulled away. Too soon, she noted. He may have settled for her friendship, but now that he knew where they stood, he wasn't going to willingly put himself through heartache. _

_Stepping through the doors, obnoxious music exploded from the house._

Make it work, with your wet t-shirt.

Bitch you gotta shake it til your calf muscles hurt.

_Damon nearly groaned in disgust; he may have been younger than most of these idiots, but he knew good music and this sure as hell wasn't it. He guided Elena through the crowded foyer and grabbed them two cups of the first drink they could find. It ended up being a cheap beer, but it'd do. _

"_Don't let it out of your sight," he __warned__. If she set her cup down, there was no guarantee that it wouldn't end up being __laced with drugs.__ He was fine with helping her with a hangover, but he was not okay with driving her to the ER __to have her stomach pumped__. _

"_Got it?"_

"_Yes, Dad," she laughed, taking a sip and grimacing. "I hate beer."_

"_You're not getting anything stronger, so get over it." _

_An hour later, Elena had found something much stronger. _

_Somehow she'd snuck away from him and he'd snatched a bottle of __Goldschläger__. He'd hoped she'd be smart by not getting completely wasted but when __he__ found her grinding sloppily against the host, he nearly lost it. He grabbed her and dragged her away, not noticing her stumbling over her feet and ignoring the drunken protests and weak attempts from Brian – that was the douche's name – to keep her with him. _

_They__ kept drinking – he wasn't going to stop her, but he kept a watchful eye – and the two of them hung around until they finally spotted Bonnie, who – just like Damon had said – was dancing up against a tall, dark-haired skinny guy. _

_Damon wiggled his eyebrows at Elena as if to say 'I win'. "Told you so."_

_Elena simply shrugged with a smile. "Gives me an excuse to see my family, too!" she laughed just as Bonnie hurried over to them, tugging her dance partner along with her. "Hey there, Bon-Bon," she slurred, taking another sip of the liquid inside of her cup that was beginning to taste more like water. The more she drank the less it tasted like vodka and the less it burned her throat._

"_Hi, guys," she beamed, glowing and breathing heavily. _Yep_, Damon noticed. She'd definitely been getting hot and heavy with him; hats off to the dumbass. "This is Shane," Bonnie grinned._

"_Nice to meet you," Elena said, shaking his hand messily. "Do you have any other cute friends who'd like to dance? I wanna dance."_

_Shane nodded eagerly and Damon fought the urge to strangle him. When he gestured for Elena to follow him, Damon immediately stepped in front of her. He didn't trust this guy and he felt his protective instincts jump into overdrive. They didn't know him, but more importantly, Damon didn't know _him_. That was reason enough to keep the guy away from his girl._

"_Damon, what are you doing?" Elena growled. "He's got a friend for me."_

_He could have explained everything he'd been feeling, but instead opted for a less confrontational route. "You're going to leave me here, alone, at a party where I don't know anyone? Really, Elena?" He watched as doubt flickered in her gaze._

"_You could always meet people. Turn on the charm; you'll have your own dance partner in less than five __seconds__."_

"_But I came here with _you_," he __argued, doing exactly as she suggested and turning on the charm__. "If you're going to dance with anybody, I think it should be me."_

_Elena's heart jumped at his signature crooked smile. It made her stomach to back-flips and when he held out his hand to her, she __grabbed it and pulled__ him __in__to the part of the house where the majority of the party was dancing. Just as Ying Yang Twin's "Salt Shaker" ended, Lil Jon's "Get Low" started playing._

3,6,9 – Damn, you fine.

Move it to you, sock it to me, one more time.

_Damon's hands dropped to her waist, his index fingers looping through her jeans and tugging her closer to him as the music swirled around them. Elena's breath hitched in her throat __at the sudden contact__, his hips swaying and circling to the music. His smirked widened __as__ she __matched __him__, rolling her hips into his while their movements intensified. She grabbed onto his shoulder, which prompted him to hold her tighter to him, causing her to hiss at the __proximity__._

_Desperately, Damon tried__ to sober up__, to remember__ that this was them under the influence of some pretty heavy alcohol, not genuine feelings; Elena felt incredible ...but he couldn't take advantage of her. She'd never forgive him and he'd never forgive himself. _

"_Elena," he breathed, pressing his forehead to hers and begging __that she stop wreaking havoc on his body__._

_She barely heard her name. Damon's hips were rotating and his lean thighs were rubbing against hers, creating a fire deep in her belly that she knew needed extinguishing and fast. "Damon," she gasped; she was out of breath with their dancing and finally pulled back enough to look up at him through her drunken haze. "I want you."_

"_You don't," he panted with a pained grin as he stroked her hair. "You're trashed, babe."_

_That was true, but __he__ couldn't have been more wrong. She knew what she wanted and she wanted him. __She'd always wanted him. __"Doesn't matter. I want you," she stated firmly, locking her arms around his waist. She knew that if she'd been sober, she'd have been more eloquent, but dammit she was drunk, horny, and in love with her best friend. "Damon, please."_

_He shook his head, __trying__ to pry her hands from his neck, but she held on tight. Sighing he explained, "Elena, we're drunk. This isn't a good idea."_

"_When has anything having to do with us ever been a bad one?" she challenged. "Our parents would be jumping for joy if they knew I was coming on to you after all of these years."_

"_I'd beg to differ," he scoffed, the response turning into a groan when she pressed her hips up against his in a mock thrust. "You don't want this…"_

"_Your words say you don't," she smiled, __sliding her leg up his. __"But your body says otherwise."_

_Before he could respond, Elena silenced Damon by rising up on her toes and placing her lips against his for the very first time. He responded immediately__, moving his mouth against hers and making him immediately wonder what had taken them so damn long__. Why had she waited until she was intoxicated? Why had she used being drunk as an excuse to be brave? Guess alcohol being "liquid courage" held true._

"_Oh my god," she breathed with a smile against his lips._

_That was all Damon needed to relax into the kiss. She wanted this and so did he. His arms further wound around her waist at her words, pulling her close, pleased when he felt her tongue seeking entrance. When he granted it, they heard a wolf whistle and Damon reluctantly pulled away from her to glare at the jackass._

"_Damon," she whispered into his ear and stroking his cheek, bringing his attention back to her. "I want __to find __a room…"_

_Damon nodded slowly, his heart thudding erratically in his chest. "So do I."_

_Stumbling down the hallway, they fell into a room as Damon kicked the door shut, __drowning out the horrific music that wasn't really music to begin with. _

_Elena __pulled him close, making him trip over his own __damn feet __as __they fell __on__to the bed. As they kissed, his hands settled on her thighs, massaging them with his thumbs as __she__ leaned forward and attacked his mouth. __Shifting his grip, he grabbed her ass, pressing her tighter against him. _

_Her moan was the biggest turn on._

_She ran her fingers through his silky hair and curled her fingers into fists, making his eyes roll back in his head at the pleasurable sensation…__ until a stronger one __suddenly __made itself known. __He gasped for breath as his chest suddenly tightened and he tore his mouth away from Elena. _

"_Damon?" Elena asked worriedly, __sobering in an instant when she saw his face contorted in agony. Sitting up, she placed an urgent hand on his shoulder. __"What's wrong?"_

"_Chest," he grunted, clutching at his sternum. "There's __like…__a weight pressing on it or something." He sat up and tried to breathe deeply. "It's hard…to breathe."_

_Elena's heart dropped. __"Where's your medicine? Is it in your car? I can go get it for you." __She__ got up, __lurching__ for the door as his eyes widened._

_Shit…he'd been in such a hurry to get to Elena that in the midst of his packing for the weekend he'd completely forgotten about the most important thing that should have been in his damn bag. His heart medication, Coreg, helped his heart to function, helped keep his condition under control and without it, he knew he was in trouble. _

"_Elena," he groaned in pain, beginning to panic, "I don't…I don't have it, I –"_

"_What do you mean you don't have it?" she asked, her voice hitching in fear. "Where the hell is it?"_

_Elena was well aware of Damon's heart condition; she knew he had Cardiomyopathy, but __he'd__ never gotten this bad before…then again, he'd always had his medicine __on hand__. She fumbled through her pockets, __horrified to realize that__ she'd left her cell phone __in__ her dorm room._

"_Where's your phone?" __She dialed 911 the instant he handed it to her.__ "I'm calling an ambulance." As she waited for the operator to pick up, his breaths grew shallower and his __eyes__ glazed over, effectively raising her levels of panic. "Damon, stay with me!"_

Elena raised a brow. "Well?" she pressed. "Are you taking care of yourself?"

"I am just fine," Damon replied tersely, looking away from her. "Don't you worry."

"I'm going to worry about it, Damon," she snapped. "I always worry about it. That was a night I'd prefer not to relive. Have you been keeping up with your meds?"

Stalking toward her, he pointed to his stack of papers on his desk inside of his office. "You've got a lot of work to do there, Miss Gilbert. I suggest you get started."

She eyed the paperwork before looking back up at him. "Am I going to get my own desk?" she asked as politely as she could without it sounding like a sneer; she knew Damon wouldn't fire her but she also knew if she pushed it, he'd make her life even harder than it was now. "Or am I to sit in your chair?"

"Sit wherever you'd like," he explained, putting distance between them once again. "Finish it before eight o'clock tonight. That's your deadline; succeed and I'll treat you to that drink."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she muttered quietly. She thought she'd said it low enough so that he couldn't hear her, but when Damon responded, she wanted to die then and there.

"Oh, but Elena…those are the best ones."

* * *

_**AN:** Thank you so much for reading & please review! ~Kate_


	4. Please, just let me be

_**AN:** Thank you again for continuing to share your thoughts with me! Your support is overwhelming in the best possible ways. As always, a giant thank you to Mariah __for being the most badass beta out there. Seriously, she whips my chapters into shape and then some. Enjoy! _

* * *

_December 2005_

_Fear strong enough to cripple snaked its way through Elena's veins as she silently watched __two paramedics check Damon's __vitals__ before lifting him onto a gurney. __Horrorstruck, she couldn't comprehend __how quickly things had spun out of control __between them, going fr__om playful and passionate to absolutely petrifying in seconds flat. _

_One minute they'd been kissing, fumbling around like the drunken teenagers they were, __the next Damon had made __a __single __sound of discomfort and from there it had only gotten worse._

_So much worse._

_A sudden silence broke through Elena's stupor, making her __realize that __the paramedics had left and __she was now alone. __Rushing __out of the bedroom __and __down the hall, __she sprinted __out of the__ once packed __frat house. __The number of party-goers had diminished quickly at the arrival of the paramedics, fear of being busted for underage drinking spurring them to flee__. She heard Bonnie shouting for her in the background, but __didn't __stop to acknowledge her __as she crossed the front lawn and ran__ up to the paramedic preparing to shut the back doors of the ambulance._

"_Wait!" __Elena __cried__, feeling a smidgen of relief when the shorter __of the two __men paused. "Let me go with him!"_

"_You can meet us there," the EMT said __while his taller partner climbed behind into the driver's seat__. Elena quickly shook her head._

"_Please, he's not from here! His parents are hours away. __You have to__ let me go with him!"_

_Pressing his lips together, the EMT considered her for a long moment before f__inally __allowing__ her inside. _

_Muttering her thanks, Elena climbed__ into the back, __choking on__ tears at the sight of __her best friend__. His eyes were closed – he'd lost consciousness a few minutes before the ambulance had arrived – as the __EMT__ started __poking and prodding Damon. Trying not to think about how horrified he would be at the attention, __Elena slipped her hand into Damon's __and squeezed__, __whispering hoarsely. __"You better not leave me. I swear to God, Damon Salvatore." _

_Before she could finish her threat, the__ paramedic began firing off questions that a very distracted Elena tried her best to answer. "How long has he been out?"_

"_Um…only a few minutes."_

"_Was he drinking tonight?"_

_Elena looked up at him. She honestly couldn't remember. She'd been drinking, a lot, hell she'd been drunk until Damon's pained gasp sobered her right up. She remembered __the moment she'd come on to him, vaguely recalling his response. _

"You're wasted, Elena,"_ he'd told her, __the words somehow crystal clear in her head. Panicking, she realized that she'd never seen her best friend drunk, she had no idea how he acted. __The first time they'd been out, he'd stayed sober to make sure she__'d__ lived to see the next morning free of regrets. _

"_I don't…" she stammered, struggling __to find the right answer even though she had no idea what it was. __"I don't know."_

"_You said he has a heart condition?"_

"_Cardiomyopathy," Elena said shakily, __her nerves fraying __when the EMT froze, his eyes snapping to hers. "Yes. He has a heart condition."_

_The man raised an incredulous brow. "And he doesn't carry his medication with him?"_

_Elena bristled. __"He told me he forgot it, that h-he'd left it at home," __she said defensively.__ It wasn't as if he'd left it there on purpose, for crying out loud. Damon __wasn't careless__ where his health was concerned. "He's going to be okay, right?"_

_The EMT held her gaze for a moment before silently going back to his patient._

* * *

_Running on empty, Elena raked her hands through her hair, feeling as though she was losing her mind. Glancing down at her phone, she saw that it was just past six in the morning. She'd been stuck __in the waiting room for nearly four hours._

Where the hell are Lydia and Giuseppe?_ Elena wondered irritably as she rested her head against the wall, hoping a doctor or a nurse would come out and give her an update on Damon. All she wanted was to go into his room and see him smirking back at her, teasing her for worrying so needlessly. If she could just hear his voice, she knew she'd be alright. _

_Drunk or not, Elena knew that what she'd felt __for Damon __at the frat party__ – whatever it was she'd felt – __had been__ real, __not some alcohol inspired infatuation.__ She'd __been __quick to turn Damon away __last__ summer, barely allowing him to get __his confession of love out__ before shutting him down, but she __hadn't been able to__ wrap her mind around the revelation in the time that __she'd been given__. _

_And now? _

_Elena still wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. __She knew _how_ she felt – her heart swelled whenever he smiled at her, her mood was affected by his, the delicious anticipation that arose in her whenever she knew she was going to see him, and she always had the __need to see him happy. However,__ what to do about those feelings was another story entirely. After the way she'd handled things last summer, w__ould Damon even allow her to express her feelings or would he cut her off like she'd done to him? _

_Not that she'd blame him if he did._

"_Elena!"_

_Her head snapped up at the sound of her name, __her eyes flying open to see__ Damon's mother, a petite raven-haired woman with eyes even bluer than her son's, rushing towards her. _

"_Where is he?" she cried, looking around wildly once she'd reached Elena and pulled the girl into her arms._

"_Room 417," Elena said, gesturing towards the hall. "The doctor wouldn't tell me anything until one of his parents showed up. Where's Giuseppe?"_

"_He was too swamped with work," the woman ground out, obviously livid with her husband's absence._

"_Seriously?" __Elena demanded incredulously, her heart breaking in a familiar way for her best friend. "__He couldn't set it aside to come and visit Damon in the hospital?"_

_After taking a deep breath, __Lydia__ shook her head. "No. He's in New York."_

_New York? __"Why? What is he doing there?"_

_A__ tall brunette with a clipboard entered the waiting __room before Lydia could respond, silencing all of Elena's questions regarding __the whereabouts of Damon's father. "Mrs. Salvatore?"_

"_Yes, I-I'm Damon's mother."_

"_My name is Meredith Fell. I've been tending to your son. If I could have a word," she said __with a smile, her gaze flicking to Elena. Apparently, the doctor hadn't believed the "I'm his sister" line and refused to give her answers. She told her it was confidential. Panic flared in Elena's chest at the implications, __but she understood. __She turned to leave, stopping short when __Lydia grabbed her wrist._

"_Elena is family and she isn't going anywhere. Say whatever you need," she said firmly, __dismissing Fell's wishes __before __she pressed.__ "How is my son?"_

"_Stabilized," __the doctor explained__ gently. "He had alcohol in his system and his blood pressure was slightly elevated, but that's dangerous for someone suffering from Cardiomyopathy." Lydia's breath __caught__ in her throat as she bit her lip, taking __Elena__'s hand in her own and squeezing it tight in support. "Unfortunately the combination __exacerbated__ his condition, and he's developed an arrhythmia. We're not sure if their correlated, but as long as he avoids things that put a strain on his heart, he'll be able to live with it."_

"_An arrhythmia?" Elena frowned in confusion, her voice strained. "What does that mean?"_

"_It means the rhythm of his heartbeat is inconsistent __with__ that of a normal one." Doctor Fell placed her hand on Lydia's shoulder in support. "He'll be okay, Mrs. Salvatore. We've given him –"_

"_May I see him?" she interrupted tearfully. "I need to see my son, may I?"_

_Before she could give a nod of her head in approval, Damon's mother disappeared into his room. Elena made a move to follow her, but she was intercepted by the woman who'd just given them the unsettling update. "One visitor at a time would probably be the safest option."_

"_Is he that bad?" she asked wide-eyed, only mildly relieved when the __doctor shook her __head._

"_We're taking precautions is all. It's better to be safe than sorry, right?"_

_She nodded, __tears blurring her vision.__ "Okay, yeah, of course."_

"_He's probably asleep anyway," __Doctor Fell said in a well-meaning attempt at comfort that fell woefully short before she left Elena alone to continue her rounds. Shuffling__ over to take her seat on the __uncomfortable vinyl __couch, __she flopped down and closed her eyes, imagining __what she'd __say to__ Damon when she saw him again. _

You dumbass, what were you thinking?

I'm glad you're not dead.

You're lucky you're not dead, otherwise I'd have brought you back and killed you myself for breaking your promise.

…Did our kiss help you to end up here?

_The sudden thought made her stomach heave and a wave of horror wash over her. It couldn't have been their kiss. There was just no way that the universe would be so cruel as to make her recognize her feelings for Damon and then render them pointless all on the same night. _

_Would it?_

_The cushions dipped suddenly next to her, prompting her to open her eyes and banish the traitorous thoughts to the back of her mind before she could think more on them. _

"_I'm sorry, __honey," Lydia said with a watery smile. "Were__ you sleeping?"_

"_No," she answered softly with a small smile. "Just resting and thinking."_

"_Well, _I'm_ thinking you need to go see __my son__."_

"_Is he alright?" she asked worriedly, straightening and preparing herself for the worst. At the warning glare Lydia cast at her, she laughed nervously. "Of course he is," she exhaled heavily. "Okay, Mama S. I'm going."_

"_Good girl," __the older woman quirked the corner of her mouth up in a smile that was a softer version of her son's trademark smirk. "__He's sleeping so be quiet, okay?"_

_A wave of love swept over Elena. __Lydia __had always been a__ second mother to __her, her own__ mother __having __spent a lot of time on the road, doing book tours with her publicist. Miranda __had __tried to be home as often as she could, but Elena __had had __the majority of her mother/daughter experiences with Lydia. Elena understood __that __her mother __had been__ busy, but __she __also understood that her mom had chosen a career over her family. It was yet another thing __that __she had in common with Damon – Giuseppe cared more about his job than his loved ones. __Consequently, __Elena and her brother, Jeremy, __had __spent a lot of time with their dad and the Salvatore's, __growing closer than most over __something that __had __hurt, but ultimately __they __had no control over. _

_Smiling and nodding at Lydia, Elena eagerly __traveled__ the short distance down the hall to Damon's room. __Reaching his __door, __she__ hesitated before __entering__, her hand frozen on the handle as she tried to ready herself for whatever __was on the other side__. Would he be awake? Asleep, like Lydia said? Or would he be half-awake, and totally out of it? They'd told her that he was okay, and that should have been enough for her, but what if something had happened during the time he'd been alone? Taking a deep breath and cursing herself for being negative, Elena knocked __gently __on the doorframe __and stepped inside__._

_Immediately, her heart soared._

_Resting in his slightly reclined bed, Damon was giving her the smirk she'd hoped to see. His normally bright blue eyes were dull with exhaustion as he beckoned her to come closer, but he seemed happy to see her._

"_Hey," she said quietly, fighting tears that had snuck up on her as she __made her way__ to his side and __took__ a seat in the chair next to him._

_His tired gaze met hers. "Hey back."_

He must have just woken up, _she thought, staring at him intently. When he'd come to visit her earlier that night, she'd had no idea how __horribly __wrong __things__ would go. She'd almost lost him, and the mere thought had her on the verge of tears again. He raised an eyebrow at her and she asked, "What?"_

"_What do you mean 'what?' Quit staring at me like that."_

"_How am I staring at you?"_

"_Like I'm going to disappear any second," he said sleepily, reaching for her hand which Elena let him have. "Mild scare. It's all good."_

"_Mild scare? __I was terrified, you__ asshole!" she cried._

"_Scared myself, too," he answered honestly as he stroked his thumb over her knuckles. "I'm an idiot. I realized I left my medicine before I knocked on your door but didn't think it'd be that big of a deal. I thought 'what's the worst that could happen?'"_

"_Chest pain, passing out, paramedics and a terrified best friend," Elena replied, squeezing his hand hard enough to make him wince._

"_I know,"__ he said, squeezing her hand back so that she'd relax. "__I screwed up…whoops."_

_Elena closed her eyes, wishing that she could be as blasé as her friend. __"Do you __remember__ what happened?"_

"_I remember drinking – dumb decision – and kissing – great decision." Her cheeks flushed as his eyes danced playfully. "I can't tell you how many times I've imagined us doing that, but I never would have thought that it'd literally take my breath away."_

"_Not funny," she growled tearfully, angrily wiping her wet cheeks. "You're not funny. God, you could have died tonight."_

"_But I didn't. I'm still here, aren't I?" He smirked. "I made a promise to you a long, long time ago and I intend on keeping it." He frowned, closing his eyes and exhaled shakily, making Elena's heart jump._

"_Damon?"_

"_I'm okay, babe," he laughed weakly, blinking heavily as sleep threatened to pull him under again. "Just tired."_

"_I can leave," she said quickly, standing up and going to remove her hand but Damon tightened his grasp. _

"_Knock it off," he said, rolling his eyes at her. "It's not even that bad."_

"_Not that bad? Damon, are you kidding me?__" she demanded as tears escaped through her lashes, blazing a trail down her cheek. "__Your careless mistake could've killed you!"_

_Damon chuckled and tiredly side-eyed her. "Which careless mistake was that?"_

"_The forgetting, the drinking, __and __the –"_

"_Don't you dare say that kiss was a mistake," he snapped half-heartedly. "Or what was going to come from it. You and I both know that it wasn't."_

No, it wasn't_, she thought_. _It had been surprising, different, wonderful even…and definitely not a mistake. No, __the kiss__ had been the furthest thing from a mistake. __Sighing, she sat back down. __"Damon, you look exhausted." It was true. __His eyelids kept drooping for seconds at a time before he stubbornly forced them back open__. He needed his rest – she was saved by his fatigue._

"_Yeah. I am kinda tired." He gave her a lazy smile before saying, "I love you, y'know." __Elena's jaw dropped, as did her heart, as the stunning revelation rendered her silent while he continued sleepily.__ "The past few months haven't changed that…and our kiss…only made me…more sure."_

_Swallowing convulsively, she couldn't speak for a few solid minutes. __"Damon," she __finally sighed, but he'd already fallen asleep__._

Why does he always have to make things so difficult?_ she thought as a tear slipped over her cheek. Damon knew exactly how to use those blue eyes to his advantage. More often than not, they got him out of trouble than into it, and right now she wished she could hold her own, because she knew it was working. One gaze in her direction, and Elena was practically putty in his hands…she couldn't let that happen now._

_She couldn't allow distance to tear them apart; their friendship was turning out to survive the separation, but would a romantic relationship overcome it as well? She wasn't sure. She knew she could not allow herself to be with Damon and then have something happen to him either. It would be hard on her as a friend, but as a lover...she wouldn't be able to take it._

"_I'm sorry, Damon. I…I can't," she whispered before leaving._

* * *

Trapped in her memories, Elena stared without seeing at the cluttered surface of Damon's desk. Five months after she'd left him in the hospital like a coward, she'd rushed back home to tell him that she'd changed her mind, but it had been too late. He hadn't waited for her and as heartbroken as she'd been that night, she knew that she had no one to blame but herself.

Flopping back against the regal leather chair, Elena wondered if Damon was dating anyone. _Probably not, _she scoffed. He probably had a string of one night stands, one gorgeous woman after another who'd be brave enough to act on the reality of Damon Salvatore instead of hemming and hawing until he lost interest.

Unlike her.

A door slammed out in the hallway, jerking Elena back to the present. She blinked. _One night stands?_ she thought, curling her lip in disgust. _What the hell am I doing? _What Damon did outside of business hours – and who and where he did it with – was none of her business. Not as a best friend and certainly not as a lover. Whatever claim she'd had on him had ended in that hospital room all of those years ago.

Annoyed, she focused her attention on the mess of files in front of her, wondering how long it would be before Damon barged in and told her to do something else. For weeks, he'd had been coming in, making her stop one project and start another. Then fifteen minutes later he'd be back, demanding to know why she'd stopped doing what she'd originally been working on. The busywork had had _nothing _to do with her job, but she'd tackled it willingly because it was obvious that he was still holding a grudge against her a mile long and she'd been determined to get back onto his good side – or at least his less hostile side – but the constant state of stress and panic was really starting to wear her down.

"Fuck this," she muttered, shoving Damon's clutter away from her and pushing away from the desk.

"Yikes."

Startled, Elena looked up to find a tall, sandy blonde smiling at her, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement as he leaned casually against the doorframe with his hands tucked in his pockets. He straightened upon seeing her distress, holding his hands up.

"Easy. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Yes, well," she replied, fumbling her words as she struggled to regain her composure. "That's usually what happens when you sneak up on someone."

"Good point," he conceded, stepping further into Damon's office. "What are you doing in here?"

"I was actually just leaving," she said, standing up and smoothing a hand down the front of her skirt as she stepped around the desk.

Holding out his hand, he said with a sideways grin, "Alaric Saltzman. You must be –"

"Way over my head," she mumbled, glaring at the desk and fighting the urge to shred the mountain of paperwork Damon had left her with sheet by sheet.

"I'm sorry?"

"Way excited to be working here," she said forcing a smile as she clearing her throat and taking his hand, giving it a firm shake. "Elena Gilbert."

"Nice to meet you, Elena," Alaric replied, his lips twitching as if he was fighting a grin. "How are you adjusting?"

Forcing a bright smile, she played dumb. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I've known all of Damon's assistants and the job's got to be, I don't know, a little…frazzling?"

"It is," Elena nodded, frustration bleeding into her tone. This wasn't what she had signed up for. Tomorrow she would definitely be going to Giuseppe to clarify her role at the firm. Suddenly her new acquaintance's words sunk in, making her bristle with indignation. _Damon…that son of a bitch!_ Shaking her head, she tried to laugh. "I'm not Damon's assistant though. I'm actually a paralegal, Mr. Saltzman."

"Well, Elena-the-paralegal-not-assistant, Mr. Saltzman's what you'd call my grandfather," he said, raising a brow. "He's dead, but I'm not. Call me Ric."

Elena nodded in understanding. "You see, Ric_,_ _Giuseppe_ hired me as a paralegal, not to be Damon's Worker Bee," she clarified, even though Damon seemed to have other ideas."Whatever he may have told you, he's not my boss."

"Oh," he frowned, narrowing his eyes. "Yeah, that's not what Damon told me."

Elena sighed. Of course Damon wouldn't have said otherwise – he was clearly more interested in some form of petty payback like bullshit filing and organizing of the chaos he'd left her with. "He was misinformed."

"Was he now?" Alaric smirked, both brows raised. Elena swallowed and realizing he was trying to figure her out, she looked down, averting his probing gaze. "Something tells me there's more going on here that I'm not seeing."

"You'd be right about that," a new voice announced. Elena did her best to stifle the groan inching up her throat at the sound of Damon's voice. Unfortunately, she couldn't stop the sigh that escaped instead as he entered his office and stepped in between the newly introduced coworkers. "But it's old news, shelved and collecting dust."

He spoke to Alaric but his eyes were locked on Elena's, blue on brown, as the dismissal poured from his lips, making her swallow.

"Ric," Damon said, his lips quirking into a crooked smile, "I was just messing with the newest S&S employee. You know that."

Ric glanced from Elena to Damon. "By giving her your case files to transcribe and file? She's not even your aide, Damon. That's a bit much, even for a haze, don't you think?"

"Not at all," Damon beamed, his eyes continuing to blaze brilliantly in Elena's direction and holding her attention. "If she can't handle a little filing then she has no business working here."

"Damon," Ric warned.

"Don't 'Damon' me," the dark haired man snapped. "And lower your sword, Sir White Knight, you know I'm right. If she can't take a little hassling from her coworkers, how's she going to react to a prosecutor trying to railroad her in court? Lawyers are sharks, Ric, and she chose the field. It's up to her if she wants to sink, swim, or be chum. Right, Elena?"

"Yeah-yeah, right," she sputtered, hoping Damon didn't catch her nervous stammer. "I did choose this career, because, believe it or not," – God, was she really sparring with Damon in front of a fellow employee? – "I can swim with the best of them. I didn't graduate at the top of my class because I doggie-paddled my way to the top."

"Doggie-paddle or breast stroke, swimming is swimming," Ric shrugged, earning a grateful smile from Elena, to which he shot her a friendly wink when Damon glanced down at his watch.

"Well," Damon announced, narrowing his gaze as the tension in the room thickened. "I've got a hot date tonight, so I'll leave you two to…whatever is going on between you two. Elena," he said, keeping his eyes trained on hers as a cruel smile suddenly peeled across his lips. "A tip – I'm fine with girls putting out on the first date, but it's really not Ric's style."

"_Damon_!" Elena hissed, mortification turning her cheeks crimson as her former best friend laughed derisively at her expense.

"Jesus, Elena," he said, condescension and pity dripping from his tone as he shook his head. "It's a fucking joke."

Fuming, she watched him walk away, his hands shoved casually into his pockets as he meandered down the hallway. Pressing her fingertips to her forehead, she closed her eyes and sighed, wondering if killing Damon would fall under the heading of justifiable homicide.

"Damon is…Damon," Ric said once they were alone. "Don't let him get to you. That's just how he is."

_I know_, she wanted to say, but then again…she didn't. Not really. Elena could still see the cocky, smartass she'd known way back when, but this version of him was twenty times more abrasive than she remembered. Damon had never treated her like this – aside from the night she'd walked in on him, that is – and it hurt more than she remembered.

Not that she'd share that information with someone she'd just met who appeared to be Damon's friend.

"Don't worry," she assured him, settling for a non-answer. "I've got a thick skin."

"You've got me, too," Ric promised with a smile. "I'll get him to back off."

"Are you two close?" she asked, in what she hoped was a nonchalant voice.

"Yeah," Ric nodded, shrugging. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with him – after the shit he just pulled – but he's a good buddy of mine."

"How long have you known him?"

"Couple of years now," he said warily, giving her an odd look. "What's with the twenty questions?"

Truth be told, Elena wanted to know how Damon had been doing with everything from health to work to everything else. Raging asshole or not, she couldn't help her curiosity.

"Just got that BFF vibe from you two," she smiled a bit. "I was right, wasn't I?"

"You could say that," Ric chuckled. Glancing at the wall clock above Damon's desk, he whistled. "Damn. It's getting late. Ready to punch out and call it a day?"

"Without a doubt," she replied with her first genuine smile of the day. She couldn't believe it was time to leave already. Giuseppe had told her to shadow Damon for a few hours, though there'd been less shadowing and more berating from his end. Either way, she was exhausted and more than ready to go home.

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow, Elena."

"Yep," she said, offering Ric a little wave as he departed the office. "Bye."

Grabbing her coat and purse, she dug out her pepper spray and put it into her coat pocket for easy access. She highly doubted that any of her new coworkers would try to attack her, but this was New York City, and she couldn't say the same for the rest of its population; she wasn't about to take any risks.

Heading for the elevator, she didn't have to wait long before it arrived and she stepped gratefully inside. Pushing the button for the lobby, she silently urged the doors to close. She just wanted to get home. At the last moment, a hand shot in between the sliding walls of steel, causing them to slide open again.

"Sorry, I was just about to…Elena Gilbert?" a familiar voice said. "I was wondering when I'd see your face around here."

"Stefan!" she gasped, a bright smile spreading across her face, earning her one in return. "It's so good to see you!"

Unlike the elder Salvatore brother, Elena was on good terms with the younger one. Throwing her arms around him, she nearly wept with relief and joy to see a friendly face. He'd been like a little brother to her, and she'd stayed in touch with him after the Fallout from Hell. Hugging him tightly, she said, "I really can't thank you enough for your help. I might have still been pushing pencils at that other job had it not been for you."

"It was my pleasure," Stefan assured her warmly.

"Yeah, well, I still owe you one," she insisted as they parted and the elevator began to descend. "Big time."

He chuckled. "Well, if you insist…there _is_ one way you can return the favor."

"Name it," she said instantly.

"Come to dinner with me."

"Stefan," she frowned, immediately ill at ease as her mind leapt to Damon and what _he'd _say if he found out she was accepting dinner invitations from his younger brother. The sibling rivalry between the two boys had always been…_intense._ "I don't know if –"

"It'll be fine," he told her confidently. "Katherine's friend from college is visiting and we don't want him to feel like the third wheel."

"I don't…I don't know…"

"Oh, come on," Stefan smiled. "He's a good guy, Elena. I think you'll like him. He's polite, good looking, has good hair…"

Laughing, Elena rolled her eyes. "When you put it that way how can I refuse?" She loved the way her old friend's eyes lit up with her confirmation.

"Great. Besides," Stefan shrugged, gesturing for her to get out of the elevator first when they reached the first floor, "It'll be nice to catch up."

"Absolutely. What time and when?"

"There's this place over on Columbus, Per Se. Dinner is at 7 p.m."

"Sounds fancy," she said warily. Luckily, her wardrobe had improved since she'd moved to the Big Apple, but she was still a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl. Mentally, she started flipping through her closet.

Stefan nodded. "It's not as bad as you think," he grinned. "You're still not a fan of dressing up, are you?"

"No," she shook her head, her cheeks flushing with heat. "Not at all."

"Don't panic. Just wear something nice and we'll have someone pick you up. Here." He held out his card. "This is my cell number. Text me yours and I'll call you when we're on our way for directions."

"Okay," she smiled. "Thank you, Stefan."

"Why do you look so nervous," he asked with a laugh. "It's dinner, Elena, not a firing squad."

"Tell that to Damon," she scoffed, even though the idea of ruffling his feathers with a platonic dinner date seemed like the perfect revenge for the past few weeks. "You'd better be careful. I think execution is the punishment for fraternizing with the enemy."

"The only one who considers you an enemy is my brother." He placed a comforting hand on her arm. "I don't think that of you, and I don't want you worrying about him. I'll get him to behave, alright?"

"Okay." _Good luck. That's what Ric said._ The only one who had ever been able to get through Damon's thick skull had been Lydia, and on a few rare occasions Elena had been lucky. His little brother had traditionally been about as successful as a torn condom. "We'll see," she said quietly, following Stefan out onto the street to grab a cab and head home.

* * *

Unlocking the front door to his loft, Damon placed his keys on the key hook, shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the coat rack and slipped off his shoes before fully entering his home.

_Well, today was shit,_ he grumbled internally as he ambled into his bathroom and started undressing. Unbuttoning his shirt, he glared at his reflection in the mirror.

He was in trouble and he knew it.

If the scene between Elena and Ric had been any indication, it wouldn't be long until she had everyone at the firm wrapped around her dainty little finger, turning them into mindless Team Elena loving zombies. She'd clearly weaseled her way into Ric's good graces before he could interfere; he should have prepared his best friend instead of expecting him to believe that Elena was just his assistant.

Fuck.

He really needed to convince his father to hire him a new assistant – a _real _assistant – before he ended up doing all of the menial office work himself.

Elena sure as _hell _wasn't going to do it.

Opening the medicine cabinet, he grabbed the small bottle of reasons that he was still around to even gripe about Elena Gilbert. Pushing and twisting with practiced movements, he shook out two pills into his palm.

Heading for the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of water; not his first choice, but even he wasn't stupid enough to mix his meds with alcohol. He hated the world right now, but he didn't want to end up in the morgue before his time.

Swallowing the pills, he took a swig of water, grabbing a piece of bread – taking medicine on an empty stomach usually sent him gunning for the toilet and he had a dinner to crash. He'd heard through the grapevine that his kiss-ass of a little brother was taking Katherine and a college friend to Per Se. Normally Damon had zero interest in interrupting his brother's boring dates, but tonight he had a good excuse. With any luck, this college friend of Kat's was hot and he'd find his next mission sitting at their dinner table tonight. He'd have an orgasm tonight, with one scheduled for the next if – and when – his charm won over Katherine's mystery friend.

Checking his Rolex, he noted that it was currently 6 o'clock. He had about a thirty minute drive ahead of him, and a ten minute conversation persuading the host to seat him without a reservation (less if it was a hostess) and he needed to get moving. Jumping into and out of the shower, he dressed in a new suit and pulled out his cell phone on his way to the elevator, counting on Bex to be desperate enough to accept a date with him.

Showing up alone was not an option – even if he intended on ditching the blonde for the new girl by dessert.

Sliding into the backseat of one of the cars the firm kept for him on retainer, Damon heard the click of the line being picked up. "I'm picking you up in fifteen," he announced without preamble. "Get dressed, wear something sexy, but not slutty." Listening to Rebekah's predictable, shrill protests, he rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on," he cajoled when she finally took a breath, flattering her with pretty words that he knew she'd take for an apology. "No hard feelings, alright? I –. Atta girl. See you soon."

Smirking, he tucked his phone into his jacket pocket.

_Works every time._

* * *

Entering the restaurant, Elena clenched her jaw in an effort to keep it from hitting the floor. The stylish and modern interior made her feel like a slob even though she'd changed into one of her best outfits. She scoffed at Stefan's words. _"It's not as bad as you think," _he had said. _Liar, _she thought, glaring at him as he walked up to the podium where one hostess was handing out the menus and the other was leading guests to their seats.

"Table for two?" the tiny redhead smiled, clearly misinterpreting their relationship.

"No," Stefan said quickly. "Four. Two more will be joining us shortly."

"Okay, there may be a bit of a wait," she said with a practiced apologetic expression. "I was going to say that if it were just the two of you, then I could seat you right away." She looked around the dining room with a sad smile, "I'm sorry."

"I should've called ahead," Stefan muttered before giving the hostess a tight-lipped nod. "Alright. That's fine, we'll wait."

Claiming seats in the plush, padded chairs located in the lobby of the restaurant, they chatted as they waited for the remaining guests to arrive. Fifteen minutes later, Elena was just beginning to feel at ease in the posh surroundings when Katherine arrived, looking effortlessly elegant and making Elena feel like a child playing dress-up.

Stefan stood to greet her, opening his arms for her in an automatic and welcoming gesture. "Miss me?" she purred as she pressed her lips to his. "Mmm. Sorry we're late."

"Yes," a smooth male voice added, stepping next to the woman. "Traffic was rather ridiculous."

"Elena," Katherine drawled, finally noticing her, an unnerving twinkle in her eye as she raked her gaze over her. "I've heard a lot about you."

_Uh oh._ Had Damon said something to her? Shit, what was she going to do? _Play it cool, Elena._ "Um –"

"I told Kat that you and I go way back," Stefan explained calmly, appearing to sense Elena's worry. He gave her a nearly imperceptible nod and she relaxed, her lips curving into a smile and held out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you," she said kindly, "Katherine." Stefan's fiancée didn't reciprocate the gesture. Clearing her throat, Elena dropped her hand to her side and pushed a stray strand of hair behind her hair.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" her friend prompted.

"Of course," Katherine replied smoothly, putting her hand on the man's arm and gently guiding him toward Elena, earning an I-Know-What-You're-Doing look from both males. "Elena, this is Elijah Mikaelson. He's an old friend of mine. Elijah, this is Elena Gilbert. She's an old _friend_ of Stefan's and Salvatore & Salvatore's newest office assistant."

"Paralegal," Elena murmured automatically narrowing her eyes at Katherine's tone. She hadn't meant to stir up any tension between her and Stefan, but anyone could see that she'd done just that. Maybe she should have declined Stefan's offer to ride with him on the way to the restaurant.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Elijah smiled, gently taking her hand in his and lifting it to his lips.

The action caught her completely off guard and had she not blushed, she might have laughed. It was as if he was Prince Charming stepping right out of a fairytale. He was handsome, extremely polite, and when they were finally called to follow the hostess to their table, he walked by her side and pulled her chair out for her, waiting patiently for her to sit before taking a seat beside her.

They ordered drinks, which the waitress quickly served. Toasting, they took their first sips before turning their attentions to their respective "dates" – a surreal experience since Elena hadn't been on a date in years. _How am I supposed to go about this again?_ she wondered. Luckily for her, she didn't have to fret too long because Elijah seemed to be oblivious to her anxiety, carrying the conversation for the better part of the night while she smiled and nodded and answered as necessary.

"Where are you from, Elena?" he inquired. "Katherine said something about Duke University?"

"I'm previously from Mystic Falls," she explained. "But I lived in Durham while attending Duke, yes."

"You've seemed to have done well for yourself," he smiled, taking a sip of his wine. "Your parents must be proud."

"They would've been," Elena said, her smile faltering as her heart constricted. Setting her wine glass on the table, she curled her fingers around the stem as she struggled to reign in her emotions. She should have expected the parental themed question. "They're no longer, um…here."

"Oh," he frowned, hesitating a moment before placing a gentle hand on her arm. "I'm very sorry. Had I known –"

"Everything okay?" Stefan asked, coming to the rescue, his eyes zeroing in on Elena's tear-filled ones. "Elena, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, plastering on a smile. "I'm alright." Using her napkin, she gently dabbed at her eyes, praying her mascara wasn't running down her face. "It happened months ago. It's been nearly a year."

"What's been a year?" Stefan questioned, his brows dipping in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Yes," a velvety voice chimed in. "Won't you enlighten us? Bex and I are just _dying _to know."

Elena froze, her stomach and heart dropping to the floor as she looked over her shoulder and saw Damon standing with his arm wrapped around a tall, beautiful blonde wearing a dark green cocktail dress with a plunging neckline. So Damon _had _moved on – or if he hadn't, he was doing a damn fine job of convincing her otherwise. Tension buzzed around the table like a lingering mosquito in the air, annoying and extremely loud.

"Well?" Damon pressed with an unkind smile. "What's got you so upset, Elena?"

"Nothing," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm fine."

Turning her attention to the table, she apologized and asked to be excused, before fleeing to the restroom. Leaning heavily on the counter, she stared at her reflection in the mirror as she took slow, calming breaths.

"Get it together, Elena," she scolded herself. "You can't let him affect you like that anymore."

Her "date" with Elijah had been going fine, better than fine actually, and now because of her own lack of preparation and Damon's terrible timing, she might have ruined her chance at a good thing with the dashing and gentlemanly man. She hadn't been expecting things to unravel as quickly as they had; she thought she'd be okay with people asking her about her parents and her having to explain that they were no longer alive. Almost a year had passed, after all.

Hoping that Elijah wouldn't think her a basket-case – mourning and rightfully upset maybe, but sane – she fixed her makeup the best that she could, and when she was satisfied with her looks, she made her way back to the dining room. Unfortunately for her, Damon and "Bex" had made themselves comfortable at their table.

"Elena," he said, introducing her to his date. "This is Rebekah Moreau. Rebekah, this is Elena."

The blonde sneered in a way that Elena guessed was supposed to be a smile as she eyed her up and down. Elena smiled back, trying to keep from squirming.

Elijah stood, worry evident in his brown eyes as he once again pulled her chair out and waited for her to be seated before sitting down again himself. Everyone continued to talk as if nothing had happened and she appreciated it when he tilted his head slightly in her direction and whispered, "You are sure you're alright?" She nodded, earning a kind grin from her new friend.

They ordered their meals, and when they were served, as their waiter set Rebekah's plate down, Damon scoffed. "You and your salads, Bex."

"I happen to like my figure, thank you very much," she snipped, stabbing at the leafy greens with her fork. Elena bit her lip to hold off a grin, suddenly liking Damon's date…until the blonde turned to him with heat and desire in her gaze and added. "And I know you do, too."

Dropping his gaze briefly to her lips, Damon rolled his eyes and gestured at Elena's plate. "Now, that's a meal."

Rebekah sniffed, clearly offended as Elena looked from her medium-cooked Filet Mignon to Damon. "I didn't know what to order," she shrugged. "Everything was in French. I asked Elijah to translate and this was the meal I knew I'd enjoy. What did you call it when I thanked you?" Elena asked Elijah, smiling up at him. "Mercy boocoop?"

"_Merci beaucoup_," he laughed softly, earning a bright smile from Elena that instantly made Damon want to groan in disgust. _French? _he scowled. _Oldest trick in the goddamn book. _Obviously the guy was trying to charm his way into her panties and like an idiot she was falling for it. Before he could point out this obvious fact, however, he felt an elbow jab him firmly in his gut.

"What?" he hissed, glaring at the blonde currently shooting daggers at him.

"I'm surprised you haven't burned holes into that girl's face," she whispered harshly. "You're staring hard enough."

"Don't get your thong in a twist, Bekah. I am _not_ staring."

"You so are," Katherine snickered, grinning at him knowingly as she took a delicate bite of her salad.

_Why, WHY did I choose to sit next to two women?_ Damon glared at Stefan, but his brother shrugged and cocked a brow, giving him a look that clearly said 'you've-been-caught-red handed, sorry-brother.' Grimacing, Damon discreetly shifted his gaze to the tiny brunette clearly absorbed in her conversation with the Faux French Frog. Elena was smiling and laughing and blushing and he hated it.

Damon shrugged, eyeing his future sister-in-law. "She seems to be enjoying herself," he added in a cool voice, at least – he was hoping he sounded that way. "It's quite the turnaround from what we walked in on."

"She looks better, that's for sure," Rebekah nodded. "Though, I don't like her hair. It hangs in her face like a mop."

"It does," Katherine conceded. "She could benefit from an appointment with my stylist."

"If you three are done," Stefan cut in softly, "I suggest you eat your damn food. We're paying enough to be here and I don't want you guys bitching when it gets cold."

"Your food is cold?" Elena asked suddenly, popping out of her private conversation with Elijah, causing Damon's eyes to widen, wondering just how much she'd overheard. "I'll flag down our server."

"No, Elena," Katherine smiled indulgently. "Stefan was chiding us about eating our meal before it _got_ cold. Not that it is. Sorry, baby." She batted her eyelashes at her fiancé and he caressed her cheek, chuckling at her and earning a giggle from her.

"Just eat your food, Kat," he told her with a grin.

Katherine lifted her fork before changing her mind and cocking her head in Damon's direction. "I _do_ love your dress, Elena."

Blushing, Elena squirmed in her seat a little. "…Thank you."

"I mean, I understand why you'd have trouble keeping your eyes off of her, Damon. She's lovely."

The entire table froze.

"Katherine," Stefan warned.

Elena swallowed, not daring to look in _Damon's_ direction as she pretended that she hadn't heard Katherine's confusing – and possibly manipulative – comment and instead asked Elijah what his thoughts were about moving to the bar. She'd suddenly lost her appetite and needed to get away and was unbelievably relieved when he nodded and escorted her out of the dining room.

"You know him," Elijah said easily, turning to look at her as they rested against the bar counter. "You have a past with him, don't you?"

"Who, Damon?" she asked, playing for time to gather her thoughts. How was it that everybody was able to pin down the reason for her lack of comfort?

_Oh, right. _Because it was about as subtle as an earthquake.

Elijah nodded indulgently with a smile. "Yes, Damon."

Elena sighed. "We had a falling out years ago," she confessed. "It's not easy for either of us."

"I can see that. May I offer a bit of advice?"

"Hmm?"

"Perhaps it would be best, if you avoid spending time with him outside of work."

She blinked, suddenly feeling defensive. "I didn't know he'd show up, Elijah."

"I know," he replied. "That's why I'm suggesting you leave."

Her eyes widened, worried she may have ruined her chance with him. "Look, I know I've been…emotional tonight," she floundered, completely off balance by her seemingly charming date's suddenly blistering assessment. "But I was having a nice time with you and I…I hope that hasn't scared you off."

"Elena, no." he assured her, taking a step closer and looking directly into her rich brown eyes. "I've actually had a wonderful time tonight, and I'd like to do it again." He chuckled and added, "Preferably without your ex-boyfriend present."

"Oh. He's not my –"

"He was," he corrected gently. "Or at least, he was some_one _to you. That's obvious. I'm not going to judge you for having a past, though I will admit that I am entirely not fond about the idea of you being hung up on him." He placed a hand on her arm, the warmth from his fingers bleeding through her sleeve. "It would make things difficult for us to get to know each other better and I'd very much like to, Elena."

His smile was confident, his gaze sure, and it made her feel like a heel. Elena bit her lip. She couldn't blame Elijah for being cautious. She'd be the same way if the tables had been reversed. "So would I," she said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the rest of the group moving towards them. Damon had his hands in pockets, smirking at something his date or girlfriend – or _whoever_ she was to him – said.

"Trust me," she added quietly. "Damon and I are over…for good."

"They're joining us." Elijah smiled having also noticing the approaching group. The bartender finally acknowledged them and he said, "I'll take a Hole In One. And what will you have, Elena?"

"A Mai Tai," she smiled. "Thank you."

"Make it a Long Island Ice Tea for me," Katherine called, waving her hand and dropping it when the bartender nodded at her as she walked up to the duo.

Damon sidled up next to Elena, his arm now loosely wrapped around Rebekah's waist. Elena ignored them and thanked the bartender when she saw him making the drink she'd ordered.

"Jesus."

"What?" she snapped, bracing herself for whatever he was about to say, and preparing to dish whatever he had to give back.

"You're sure you should be drinking on the first date? We all know what happens when you get buzzed."

"Things change, Damon," she retorted, her eyes blazing. "Some of us have grown up since high school." Reveling in the way his jaw clenched and his gaze darkened, she turned back to Elijah and squeezed his arm, stroking it with her thumb and smiled sweetly. "Thank you for the drink, Elijah."

"Speaking of drinks… a Mai Tai?" Damon smirked. "If I had known that you enjoyed such…_exotic _pleasures, I would have invited you to join me and my friends that night."

Elena froze, tightening her grip on her drink and missing Elijah's exasperated sigh as her body went hot, then cold. She thought she'd been prepared for anything, thought that there would be at least _some _things that Damon wouldn't throw back in her face, but obviously she'd been wrong. An image of the boy she'd thought she'd loved tangled up in bed with not one but _two _women flashed through her mind, making her feel ill as her stomach rolled.

"I like a little adventure in my life," she replied calmly despite the rage boiling up inside of her. "Even if I'm not as _worldly_ as you."

"Worldly?" Damon repeated, raising a brow. "Well, I do love to travel."

"Do you?" she replied, whirling around to face him.

Damon's smirk widened.

"Elena," Elijah warned quietly, placing a hand on the small of her back, but she couldn't hear him over the rage and humiliation rushing through her veins. For weeks, she'd tried to be civil, tried to do her job and ignore the way her former best friend – once the most important person in her life – so obviously and vehemently hated her.

She couldn't do it anymore.

"If you like travel so much, why don't you go take a fucking hike," she hissed, throwing her drink in his face like her body had been possessed. Turning on her heel, she ignored the roar of laughter from Katherine and Stefan, whining protests from Rebekah and hollow apologies from Elijah as Damon cursed.

He'd deserved every bit of that.

Shoving open the doors, she stormed out into the cool night air, immediately surrounded by New York City night life. The sights and sounds helped calm her as she raised her hand for a taxi. Just as one stopped and she reached for the door, someone grabbed her arm, yanking it away and whirling her around to face him.

"What the hell was that?" Damon demanded, his hair wet and his breathing heavy as he glared at her. "You're telling me _I'm_ the one that needs to grow the fuck up?"

"Really, Damon?" she demanded, traitorous tears threatening to stream down her face. She wasn't sad – she _wasn't – _she was pissed. "Have you been listening to yourself at _all_ tonight?"

"Right, because you've been a pillar of virtue and maturity shoving her date in my face all night," he panted, taking a deep breath and trying to mask a grimace of pain in a move Elena remembered well.

Setting her anger momentarily aside, she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Knock it off," he growled, lifting his hand to his chest and curling his fingers into a fist at the last moment. "I told you not to worry about it. Shouldn't be too hard for you."

"Right, because I want you to drop dead in the street," she snapped. "I still _care, _Damon."

"Oh, you do?" He scoffed, "Really?"

"Yes, really," she insisted. _Why the hell did he have to make everything so _hard? "Even though you've been treating me like shit since you found out I'd be working with you."

"Roses are red, violets are blue. Karma's a bitch – fuck you."

Elena bit back a groan. "Your act only works on an audience," she said, barely refraining from shaking him as he gave her an angry scowl, clearly still affected by the heart condition that had nearly killed him on more than one occasion. She still knew when he was putting up a front. "You're an open book; still as easy to read as you've always have been, Damon."

"No, I'm not. I'm a puzzle. I'm a rubix cube with pants," he smirked, refusing to drop the act as he backed away from her. "Thanks for the shower." He gestured to his stained button-down. "Unfortunately for you, I know how to get it out. Nice try though, toots."

"Yeah, I'm sure it's not the first time someone threw a drink in your face," she replied. Damon's grin widened, the pain beneath it – both physical and emotional – so jarring that Elena sighed. They couldn't go on like this. "Come on," she said, reaching for him. "Don't walk away."

"Don't walk away?" He tsked at her, turning his back to her. "Elena, you're the one who taught me how."

She angrily wiped away an errant tear that had snuck up on her. "I'm done."

He froze before facing her with a cruel smile. "Giving up so soon?"

"No," she shook her head. _I'm not going down that easily,_ she thought silently. "Truce."

"That sounds like giving up –"

"Seriously, Damon," she interrupted, closing her eyes briefly. "This is exhausting and it's getting really old," she massaged her forehead before shaking her head at him. "We work together and I'm tired of prepping myself for battle every morning before I come into the office. If we want to keep our sanity then we're going to have to learn to be civil. No more jabs, cruel words, or rude actions."

"Says the one who just threw a drink in my face," he retorted, plunging ahead before she had a chance to remind him that he'd deserved for being a world-class jackass. "Fine, Elena," he said, letting out a sharp breath as she started in surprise that he'd capitulated so quickly. Her watery smile faltered almost immediately, however, as he added. "I think I could learn to forgive and forget. The question is, can you?"

* * *

_**AN:** Thank you so much for reading & please review! ~Kate_


	5. Leave it unspoken

_**AN:** Thank you to those of you who continue to support this story by leaving your reviews full of thoughts and questions and enthusiastic ramblings. They actually make my day like you wouldn't believe! Also wanted to say thank you to Mariah for her awesome beta skills, to LaylaReyne for her legal knowledge, and to Cheryl for pre-reading. I'm super grateful to you, ladies! Now, what happens in this chapter contains things I think you'll like and things I think you won't. Just remember that it's all part of the story! I'll stop talking so you can get to it. Read and enjoy! ~Kate_

* * *

Damon enjoyed the way the woman currently straddling him rode him hard, gasping and clawing at his chest. He let her have full control as she serviced his every whim, bringing him that much closer to his climax while he easily pulled her release from her. "Damon!" the woman cried out, placing the palms of her hands against his sweat-slicked skin as she lifted herself up and then impaled herself down on him again. "Damon…_Damon_…"

He felt a pointy finger jabbing him in the side and just like that, he was yanked back to consciousness.

"Wake up."

"Uh-uh." Damon rolled over on his side, exhaling deeply as he tried to get back to his dream. "Still tired, Bex."

"Awe, come on," Rebekah whispered, ghosting a fingernail down his spine. "I'm ready for another round."

"Go back to sleep," he grumbled, burying his head under his pillow and wondering if it was time to rethink his Friends-With-Benefits relationship with the blonde stunner. She was hot, and a good fuck, but he had zero interest in her romantically. He tried to focus on the blonde from his steamy dream but was once again interrupted.

"You'd be wide awake if I was Elena," she huffed petulantly.

The blue eyes in his imagination suddenly darkened to brown and short, blonde locks morphed into long, loosely curled chocolate tresses. _Fucking hell, _he cursed internally. She just _had_ to go and bring her up.

Elena Gilbert.

_Truce my ass_, he thought.

In the weeks that had passed since the disastrous dinner at _Per Se, _Elena had taken 'truce' to mean 'avoiding at all costs'. She wasn't making an effort to be civil _or _to play games, she wasn't in his way, wasn't a big pain-in-the-ass and wasn't conversational. If it hadn't been for the rise and fall of her chest and the occasional clearing of her throat, Damon would've sworn that Giuseppe had hired a fucking mannequin – a fact which sapped all of the fun out of his workdays and made the prospect of spending yet another day in that limbo distinctly unappealing.

It had been her idea to call the damn ceasefire, but the silence was worse than the open hostility.

"Seriously?" he groaned, peeking out from beneath the pillow and glaring at her in annoyance. "Your method to getting me in between your legs is by mentioning her?"

Narrowing her eyes, Rebekah sneered. "Don't be crass, Damon."

"I can't help it," he shrugged with a snarky grin as he rolled onto his back. "I am who I am. If that's a problem, I will hold the door open for you."

"Asshole," she muttered darkly, tugging the sheet up and crossing her arms over her breasts. "I'll bet you treat Elena better than me."

_Quit saying her fucking name, _he grimaced, scrubbing a hand over his face before side-eyeing her. "You really think this is a turn on?"

She shrugged. "No…I'm just saying."

"Well _stop. _Stop saying things."

"She really irks you, doesn't she?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"She does."

Rolling onto her side, Rebekah propped herself up onto one elbow and rested her head on her hand. "What happened between the two of you? Considering the way you treated her at the restaurant, it must have been big. You should have seen yourself that night, Damon."

"She had it coming," he replied vaguely, shooting her a smug grin and folding his hands behind his head as she crawled on top of him. Hovering over him, she pressed her lips to his, moaning when his tongue darted into her mouth and lowering herself to grind against his erection.

Pulling away, Damon trailed his finger down her throat as the blonde unconsciously leaned into the touch, her eyelids fluttering as his warm breath brushed over her skin. Flashing his brilliant blues he whispered, "Get out."

Rebekah froze, her skin flushing red with embarrassment and anger before she slapped his hands away and climbed off of his lap. "Find yourself another easy lay," she snarled, gathering her clothes. "I'm through with you."

"Ooo," Damon said, pretending to quake in terror as he rolled onto his side and watched her dress. "Whatever will I do without you?"

"Why don't you try out your cruel little games on _Elena_?" she sneered, emphasizing the name in an attempt to needle him. "She's the only woman you can think about anyway."

Ready to argue that he already had, Damon paused, reconsidering. He'd taunted Elena professionally, hazing her like a fraternity pledge from the second she'd walked into the office for her first interview, but he hadn't treated her the way he'd treated Rebekah – or any of the revolving door line-up of women who'd shared his bed. He'd reeled those women in, drawing them close with flattery and the promise of fulfilling all of their wildest fantasies before abruptly cutting the strings. A smirk curved Damon's lips as a brilliant idea took shape in his head.

_Perfect._

"Bex," he said, propping himself up on his elbows. "Hang on a second."

"And why should I?" Rebekah pouted, glaring at him from over her shoulder as she shimmied into the skirt she'd worn the night before. His devilish smile made her pause. Her blue eyes lit up with curiosity even as she tried to keep her features stern. "Damon…what are you thinking?"

* * *

From a safe distance, Damon watched as Elena leaned back in her desk chair, giggling and blushing profusely while she twirled the phone cord around her finger as if it were a goddamn lock of hair. Equally intrigued and disgusted, he listened to her go on and on about the person on the other end being "so _sweet."_

_Someone's made themselves at home,_ he snorted to himself, idly wondering how many company hours she'd spent on personal calls with Prince Perfect. If it had been any other day, Damon would have been annoyed at being ignored.

Today, however, he smiled.

Elena would never know what hit her.

_Time to put the plan into action, _he thought, intentionally staying out of her line of sight as he approached her desk. Without giving her any warning, he pressed a button and broke the connection, effectively ending her conversation with Lover Boy.

"What the hell?" Elena exclaimed in confusion as she spun around and found the source of the disconnect. Her features morphed into a mask of irritation as their gazes locked. "What was that for?"

Damon's eyes twinkled mischievously as he perched himself on the edge of her new desk. Elena's small cubicle – a miniature office – was located next to his. Courtesy of Giuseppe, of course. It wasn't anything fancy – a simple, cedar desk with room for a laptop and space to spread out her text books so that she could study until she was summoned to perform actual legal work.

"That was a favor," he said, crossing his arms and smirking at her disgruntled countenance. "You're on the clock…would you care to explain what I just walked in on?"

"No, because I finished your latest fool's errand and was just…" She shook her head, looking down at her completed paperwork before back up at him. "Actually, that's none of your –"

"_Actually_," he interrupted with a raised brow, "you're lucky _I _was the one who caught you talking to your boyfriend on company time instead of my father. You'd have found out what it's like _not _to have the old man wrapped around your little finger."

Flushing bright red with embarrassment, Elena stood up sharply from her chair and exited the confined space, making her way to the break room. _God, he's infuriating, _she thought, knowing he was trailing her. She could feel his gaze right between her shoulder blades, zeroing in as if he were trying to peer into her soul.

Aside from the fact that he'd caught her on the phone with Elijah (and yes, Damon had a point; she shouldn't have been talking to him during business hours), he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she didn't know how to act around him now that they were "friends" again. It was why she'd been avoiding him like the plague. She didn't know _how_. It had been years, and to suddenly go from the best of friends, to enemies, and then to just-barely-friends again was a little more than jarring. He'd been showing her attention lately which was also a little unnerving for her – not because she didn't like it, but because she – to her annoyance – _did_…and she liked it in a more-than-friends way.

And that just wasn't okay for someone with a boyfriend to see another man in any other way than platonic.

Especially when that man was Damon.

Entering the break room, Elena suddenly spun around in a fit of temper, ready to ask Damon if he even knew the definition of a truce, and ran straight into his chest. Startled by the quick movement, he recovered immediately and grabbed her upper arms to steady her as she wobbled in her heels.

"It's called a personal bubble, Gilbert," he drawled, tilting his head as he raked his gaze up and down as much of her body as he could with them standing so close. His lips curled into a seductive smile as he added. "And I do believe you're in mine."

"I-," she began, her mouth going dry under his intense scrutiny as her gaze dropped to his lips when she realized their closeness.

Her lower lip slipped between her teeth and her pulse raced like a stallion competing in the Kentucky Derby while his now snark-free eyes searched hers. Keeping him at arm's length for the past few weeks had taken more than its toll and when Damon inched forward with a small sideways grin tugging at his lips, gently tightening his hold on her biceps, Elena blinked rapidly with a sharp inhale, somehow snapping herself out of her trance at what she'd almost let happen.

"I have to go," she said quickly, pulling out of his arms and away from him. Mercifully, Damon let her go without a word, but she felt his eyes on her as she gathered her things and made a beeline for the elevator.

Thank God she'd finished her work early. She needed to get the hell out of there.

* * *

_October 2003_

_Elena shook her head, swallowing thickly. Ben McKittrick. That no good, son of a bitch. Elena hated him, absolutely despised him. If there was a bottled cure for the world's deadliest virus, and she had the opportunity to give it to him, she'd smash it into the ground before saving his life. _

_How could he do this to her? _

_It was her junior year of high school and her homecoming date – her _boyfriend – _had ditched her for April Young the _night _of the dance. She'd been getting ready to change into her dress when he'd called her up and canceled, saying that he'd found someone better, someone hotter, to attend the dance with. She hadn't been able to even get a word out before the asshole had broken up with her over the phone and hung up._

_Knowing that he had zero plans of going, Elena called Damon, collapsing into his arms with a sob when he arrived less than five minutes later. _

"_You're okay," he murmured into her hair, stroking her back as she held onto him as if he were a life raft. "McKittrick is an idiot; a complete fucking moron."_

"_Damon," she sniffled, her voice muffled. "He said he wanted someone who would put out." She felt his soothing motions freeze momentarily before continuing to rub her back in comforting circles. "Please tell me it's going to be okay," she whispered into his chest, her face buried in the taupe fabric of his long-sleeved shirt. "Just tell me it's going to be okay."_

"_It's going to be okay," he promised immediately, holding her tightly as the tears slowly stopped falling. "He's a dick, Elena. Totally not worth it."_

"_You don't know what you're talking about," she said angrily, curling her fingers into a fist and hitting him on the shoulder. "You've never had your heart broken."_

"_True," he smirked. "But I'm still right."_

_Letting out a sound that was halfway between a sob and a chuckle, Elena closed her eyes. "Lie to me."_

"_What?" he laughed, pulling away from her and stroking her tear-stained cheek. "Where the hell did that come from? Why would I lie to you?"_

"_Just do it."_

"_I've never lied to you, El–"_

"_I know that! Just…," she sighed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Tell me you love me."_

"_I do love you," he said seriously. "You know that."_

_"No." Elena shook her head vehemently, needing Damon to do or say something - anything - to ease the ache in her chest. "That's not what I mean. I know you do, but tell me you _love_ me."_

_She watched as his brows furrowed, and she saw apprehension and what looked to be desire in his gaze before his features evened out and one brow jumped upwards. "I love you, Elena." His smirk reappeared and she nearly smiled._

"_Good. Lie again."_

"_I hate you," he told her, and even though she knew his words weren't true, they cut through her like a knife. "If we were the last two people on the planet, I'd –"_

"_Okay, okay, that's enough." Elena buried her face into his chest, shaking her head and sniffling. "No more lying."_

"_You told me to," he grinned, his chest rumbling with the vibrations of his laughter. Stroking her hair, he held her for a few more moments and said, "You should show me the dress you were going to wear."_

_Elena grimaced. "I really don't feel like it."_

"_Elena." Damon pouted, his eyes shining with mock sincerity. She wanted to smack that look off of his face; he knew she couldn't resist his big blue puppy dog eyes_

"_Why?" she groaned. "So you can tell me it should have been shorter or showed more cleavage?"_

"_That's _exactly_ why," he said with a straight face, chuckling when she smacked him. "Please?"_

"_Seriously, Damon." Elena rolled her eyes. "Why?"_

"_Because I want to see your dress." She glared at him. "And I said 'please.' You know I only say that once."_

_His smirk widened when she pulled out of his hold, grumbling unintelligible nothings as she disappeared into her bathroom and shut the door. Flopping back on her bed, he caught sight of Elena's little brother as he passed by the open door. "How's it goin', Little Gilbert?"_

"_You came to her rescue?" Jeremy grinned, slinging his baseball bag over his shoulder, on his way to practice. "She was pretty wrecked an hour ago."_

"_She'll be okay," Damon said with confidence._

"_I dunno what she'd do without you, man," Jeremy shook his head. "I hate it when girls cry and it's even worse when it's my sister."_

"_Elena's tough, she'll be fine."_

"_I'm a shitty brother."_

"_Nah, she just has a better one," he smirked and Jeremy rolled his eyes before disappearing down the stairs. Damon waited patiently. Five minutes passed and no Elena. Then ten. Then fifteen. He groaned internally. She was probably in tears again. Getting up, he crossed silently over the thick carpet, knocking softly on the bathroom door. _

"_Elena? You okay in there?"_

"_Go away," came the muffled reply, her voice thick with tears._

"_Aw, come on!" Damon cajoled, leaning against the door frame. "Open the door, babe."_

"_You're going to laugh at me!"_

"_I won't," he promised. _

"_You might!"_

"_I'll definitely kick your ass if you don't open the door, Elena."_

_Nearly a full minute later, Damon saw the door knob twist, and then Elena stood in front of him clad in a deep purple, floor-length gown made out of chiffon and silk that he couldn't look away from. _

_Swallowing, Elena smoothed out her dress anxiously, waiting for him to say something as he silently took in every inch of her petite form, making her blush a rosy shade of pink. _

"_Damon, say something," she said, unsure of why she felt so nervous. It was just Damon. "Please."_

"_Stunning."_

"_What?"_

"_Elena," he breathed, his blue eyes finally locking onto her brown ones. His grin was crooked as he gave her yet another once over. "You look…you look stunning."_

"_Well, that's a first." His response was not what she had been expecting. Bursting into a fit of nervous giggles, she covered her mouth with her hand. "Thanks a lot, jerk!" _

"_What?" He furrowed his brows. "It was a _compliment_. Did you want me to lie again and tell you that you looked awful?"_

_Her laughter faded as her blush intensified. "You've never complimented me before."_

"_What are you talking about? Yes, I have."_

"_No," she insisted, knowing without a doubt that he'd never looked at her quite like this before either. "Damon, you haven't."_

"_I compliment your cooking all the time."_

"_Liar!" she giggled, shaking her head and giving him a look of mock anger. "I can't even make Mac & Cheese. I suck at cooking."_

"_True," he agreed. "I really should stop enabling you."_

"_You've been lying to me for years."_

_She watched Damon pause momentarily before shrugging. "Minor detail. And it was a little white lie. Little white lies never hurt anybody." He stepped towards her and hooked his finger under her chin, preventing her from looking away. "You really do look beautiful."_

_Elena considered him. "Lie?" she asked shyly. _

_He shook his head and softly answered, "Truth."_

"_Thank you," she said quietly, her lashes fluttering as her gaze drifted to his lips. _

She really is beautiful, _Damon thought, suddenly struck by the urge to kiss her. _

_Damon Salvatore had lusted after – and had been with – plenty of beautiful girls. Elena, however, had always been…off limits. Out of reach. Elena was…well, she was _his_ Elena, and while he'd never been blind to her beauty, he'd never quite looked at her like this before. _

_Like someone he'd wanted to kiss. _

_Clearing his throat, he let go of her chin and took her hand, tugging her toward the center of her bedroom. "Dance with me."_

"_Dance with you," she repeated incredulously. "Damon, what? No, don't be stupid. There isn't any music."_

"_Pfft." He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling before meeting her gaze. "What is this, a school dance?" Her face crumbled as she looked away from him and he wanted to kick himself. "Uh-uh, none of that. C'mere." _

_Wrapping his arms securely around her, he was pleased when she relaxed almost immediately. Damon began to sway back and forth, lifting one of Elena's hands and pressing it to his chest. She looked at him again and he flashed a familiar grin. _

"_What would you ever do without me?" _

_Her eyes watered, nodding against his shoulder. "You're always there for me," she whispered._

"_And I always will be," he promised, pulling her closer. Resting his cheek on her crown, they continued to sway as she shook with silent tears. "Shhh. You're going to be fine." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, adding. "I'm going to take care of you." _

Elena's eyes snapped open.

She was sitting on the floor of her tiny living room, leaning against the couch with her legs crossed and a textbook opened on her lap. For the past few weeks, she'd been reading anything and everything she could to prepare for the bar exam – study guides, test taking tips, practice questions. As her disorientation faded, she surmised that she'd passed out after getting through only two or three chapters. Staring down at her book, she was annoyed by the fact she'd fallen asleep before she'd been able to mark her spot. She couldn't even remember what paragraph she'd been on.

Since starting at Salvatore & Salvatore, Elena had spent a minimum of sixteen hours a day surrounded by law. If it was an easy day at the office, she only worked eleven – _Ha,_ she laughed. _Only eleven._ When she returned home, she'd spend the majority of her free time studying. She only had two weeks to go before everything was over and done with – and the light at the end of that tunnel was the only reason that she hadn't yet thrown in the towel. She was too close to give up. While she knew that her job as one of the company's few paralegals was secured, she also knew that Giuseppe wouldn't offer her a position as a lawyer out of pity or some sort of family loyalty. She needed to pass that bar exam – there was no one else meant to join the Salvatore Team but her.

Yawning, she flipped through a few pages before finding a word definition that stood out to her and starting from there. Twenty minutes flew by as she immersed herself in legal terms so deeply that she barely heard the knock on her door.

"Elena, it's me," a muffled, but wonderfully familiar voice announced. "Open the door?"

A smile spread over her lips. She stayed seated – her nose buried in her book – and hollered, "Door's unlocked!"

Opening the door, Elijah closed and locked it firmly behind him before crossing the tiny entryway and making his way over to where she was sitting. Obviously not wanting to dirty his dress pants, he opted for the couch rather than the floor, and nudged her shoulder with his knee, waiting for her to acknowledge him. Elena was trying to absorb as much information as possible before pressing _pause_ on her study session. When her eyes landed on the term _mens rea,_ she marked her spot and allowed herself that time-out.

"Hi," she smiled, looking over her left shoulder and up at him. He bent forward and kissed the top of her head.

"Care to take a study-break?" he asked. "Spend some time with me?""

"I suppose I could do that," she said, turning to face him and fiddling with the fabric of his pants. "You're always dressed so proper."

"I'm a gentleman, Elena. It's how I was raised," he sighed, taking the hand that continued picking at his pant leg absent-mindedly. He brought it to his lips and smiled. "I can't pull off ripped jeans quite like you can."

Elena laughed and stood up, trading the floor for his lap and grinning as he opened his arms to welcome her into his embrace. "Very true," she conceded. "You'd look a little ridiculous in cut-offs, wouldn't you?"

His gaze flickered over to her front door and he frowned. "You're lucky it was me who was at your door. You should know better than to leave it unlocked in this city."

"The apartment's safe, Elijah."

"Leaving your door unlocked isn't, Elena."

"Yes, Dad," she teased, kissing the tip of his nose.

His lips curled in disgust, though his brown-eyed gaze twinkled mischievously as he pulled her closer and whispered into her ear. "I'm thrilled that I am not your father nor in any way, shape, or form related to you."

Wrapping a hand around his neck, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips, feeling him smile as his hand drifted lower. Gripping her thigh, he maneuvered her around until she was straddling him. Their kiss built in intensity until he pulled away from her just as her hands skated along the metal snap of his pants.

"Elena," he said breathlessly, his eyes warm and affectionate. "I didn't come over here to do this."

"I know," she nodded, stroking his cheek. "But it's okay. I want this, Elijah. I do." She pecked him once on the lips and added cheekily, "It's a nice way to get off…I mean," she said playfully, clarifying, "it's a nice way to get my _mind_ off the stress of this damn exam."

He pushed her hair from her eyes, chuckling. "You are a little minx, Miss Gilbert. You do know that, don't you?"

"You love it," Elena smirked before covering his mouth with hers. Her hands slid down to the neatly tucked hem of his dress shirt and began pulling it out, inch by inch before unbuckling his belt. His hand stopped her before she could slide it from the loops.

"Are you sure?"

Elena had been seeing Elijah ever since that night at Per Se, but only recently had it started developing into something more serious. He was every bit as good a man as Stefan had promised. He took her out to dinner when she wasn't cramming and insisted on paying. He allowed her to pick when they went to the movies, and never complained, even if said film was a chick-flick, and openly discussed it with her afterward. He had never pressed for anything more than a kiss at the end of the night.

Elijah was sweet, polite, a great kisser and exceedingly patient with her. More than one late night conversation over a bottle – or two – of wine had led to her confessing the sordid highlights of her past with Damon. Elijah had taken it in stride, allowing that he had a few ex-girlfriends in his past that had done a number on him as well. She'd gotten the impression that he understood that her trust – and her heart – was fragile, and he had zero intentions of breaking it.

Knowing all of that, Elena decided it was time to reward both of their patience that evening.

Her belly clenched at the thought as she quickly got him out of his shirt, squealing when he abruptly lifted her to her feet. Soon he had her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her to the bed on the opposite side of the room, their lips fused together the entire time.

Falling backwards onto the mattress, she unbuttoned her top and threw it aside, not paying any attention to where it landed. Elijah's face disappeared as he unzipped her jeans and slowly dragged them down her thighs, throwing them to the hardwood floor. Hooking his fingers under the elastic edge of her panties, he peeled them off as well as he kissed her stomach, his tongue swirling in and out of her navel.

"Oh, god," she gasped as he teased her, trailing a finger lightly up and down her sex. "Please."

"Patience, Elena," he murmured, slipping his hands under her ass to gain better access. "I'm going to take care of you."

His tongue ran along her slit, teasing the swollen flesh as she shuddered. "Oh…" He flicked against her just right and she jolted, inhaling sharply as her belly tightened in anticipation. He continued to work her and when he circled her clitoris before honing in on it, Elena canted forward, her fingers gripping a head of dark hair as she heard _his_ voice promise her. "Damon, please!" she cried out.

The tongue caressing her froze and immediately she realized her mistake.

_Oh my god. _

Mortified, Elena looked down at Elijah's face between her thighs, brown eyes meeting brown, as he stared at her with a look of shock and betrayal.

"Oh, god," she panted, shaking her head frantically as she stared back at him, absolutely horrified. Pushing herself up on her elbows, she struggled for an explanation, some justification to make everything better. "Elijah –"

"Elena," he said, sitting back on his knees and dropping his gaze to the sheets to avoid looking at her stricken face. Running a hand through his tousled hair, he added, "I think it would be best if I left now."

"No, I–"

"I understand that there's a history between you and…," he paused, unable to say the other man's name aloud. "But I'd prefer not to be a substitute."

"You're not," she insisted. "Oh, my god, you're not, Elijah. I-."

"Elena," he said quietly, finally meeting her gaze. "You're not over him."

The words were like a knife to the gut; she could feel her heart constrict painfully, her eyes stinging with tears she didn't want to shed. She tried to speak but her voice gave out. "I…I am."

"The shouting of his name just moments ago tells me another story."

Miserable, Elena was unable to do anything but mentally scold and chastise herself. _What the hell was that? How could you just…what the hell is wrong with you? _She knew the ice was thin where she was treading and that she had to choose her words very carefully; words that would absolutely convince Elijah that she was with him and him only.

"I'm not going back to Damon. I'm not," she promised, crawling after him to the end of the bed as he stepped into his pants. He scoffed but she ignored him, catching his hands to keep him from buttoning his shirt and intertwining their fingers. "Even if I wanted to, it's not an option. You've seen how he treats me. Elijah." His name finally made him look into her eyes. "He hates me. We act fine at work, but it's never going to happen. It's over. I'm with you now."

A fraction of the tension eased from Elijah's shoulders, but he looked unconvinced. "Why do I get the feeling that I should just end things this second?"

"I'm sorry." She dared to reach up and stroke his smooth, clean-shaven cheek, relieved when he didn't pull away. Rising up on her toes, she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, ignoring the fact that her stomach didn't erupt with butterflies like it had when he'd first kissed her. "I'm with you. Okay?" she said quietly, "I'm with _you_."

* * *

_Holy shit. Holy shit, _Elena thought as she paced the elevator taking her up to her floor. She was late. She was so frigging late! Elijah had let her explain the dream she'd had before he'd arrived – believing that her slip of the tongue had been the result of a long buried memory rising to the surface – but he'd left soon after with only the vaguest of plans in place to see her again. Between studying and agonizing over what had happened with her boyfriend, she'd hardly gotten any sleep at all last night.

Arriving at her floor, Elena ducked through the doors, moving swiftly to get to her desk, but she'd barely made her way down the hall before she heard someone call her name. Slowing her pace, albeit only slightly, Elena looked over her shoulder and smiled at Stefan. "Sorry. I'm running late and can't really talk right now."

"That's okay. It won't take too long."

"Okay…" Her brows furrowed and she nodded reluctantly, gesturing for him to follow her. "Walk with me."

"I never got a chance to apologize for what happened with my brother at Per Se. Damon can be such a jackass sometimes," Stefan said, keeping pace with her easily as he skirted by another employee while walking down the narrow hallway.

"Most times," she joked lightly, but Stefan smirked.

"Most times," he nodded in agreement. "But the way he acted at Per Se was truly uncalled for. He was just trying to get a rise out of you – you get that, right?"

Elena eased into her chair and placed her files onto the desk. "He was making up for lost time," she said, palpable relief surging through her at making it all the way there without Damon catching her. "I get it. Plus, we were in a public place. I should have known better. I should have prepared myself."

"You didn't deserve that though. I was impressed with the way you handled yourself. He headed home right after the whole Drink-Thrown-In-Face fiasco." He sat on the edge of her desk and handed her a stapler when he saw her looking for it.

"Before or after we called a truce?"

"You what?" he asked, wide-eyed. "You're kidding."

"Nope. We're actually trying to be civil for once."

"And how's that been going?"

"Decent, I guess?" Elena shrugged. "I don't know. I've been…_distancing_ myself from him as much as possible."

"Doesn't that make the whole 'truce' thing null and void, if neither of you are trying to move on and be friendly?" Stefan asked, raising a brow.

"It's just easier that way. Do you want coffee?" she asked suddenly, deciding that her work could wait ten more minutes. "I want coffee." She wasn't awake enough for another day at S&S, let alone for this conversation.

"Nah. I'm good, but I'll go with you."

Rising, they made their way to the break room. Stefan cleared his throat, plastering a smile on his face as he innocently brought up the one subject that she didn't want to be reminded of at the moment.

"Well, since we're here, I should probably mention that Katherine told me that Elijah hasn't been able to shut up about you."

Elena winced at the news, knowing that Elijah was too decent a guy to rat her out to Katherine. "Really?"

"He even went so far as to say he'd consider staying in New York if things end up working out with you two."

Elena nodded, hoping her smile was convincing enough to hide the fact that she felt nauseous. "That's…that's –"

"Fascinating," Damon smirked, walking up behind his little brother.

_How does he do that? _Elena wondered irritably, her stomach twisting harder. He always came out of nowhere, always joining the conversation at the worst possible time. His eyes met hers and she swallowed thickly.

"It is truly _fascinating_ that a guy would be willing to do something as life-changing as that, even though it may just blow up in his face."

Stefan stepped protectively in front of her. "Damon…"

"It's okay, Stefan," Elena said lightly. "He's a pain in the ass, remember?"

"Aw, you'd be bored without me and you know it,'" Damon chuckled, winking at her.

"I'm just going to let you two…yeah." Stefan looked at Elena, and she shrugged slightly before glaring at his brother and growling, warning not-so-quietly – or discreetly – to be nice before he left the two of them alone.

"I'm always nice," Damon smirked, as he followed her into the break room. "Aren't I, Elena?"

"Yes. You are an absolute ball of sunshine." Elena caught his gaze before turning her attention to the coffee machine, hoping that he would leave – fast. She had a long day ahead of her and she definitely wasn't ready to deal with his version of amicability. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she nearly ran back to her desk, hoping that Damon would take the hint for once and leave her alone to tackle his precious filing. "I'd be lost without you," she muttered, sarcastically.

"Given," Damon replied, following close behind and leaning against the wall next to Elena's cubicle. Lips tugging upwards, he flashed his blue eyes in a way that made her suck in a sharp breath as her heart skipped and began to race. God, he was killing her with the sideways smiles and that damn Eye Thing he always did – just like he had when they were kids. The whole Avoid Damon Plan was starting to fail. She could not let it fail. "Oh, don't act like you don't love my humor, Elena."

"Oh, I enjoy your humor immensely," she said, forcing her voice to come out even. "I'd be _lost _without your snark and sarcasm."

"Seriously, though," he said, gazing at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye as stood uncomfortably close to her. "What ever would you do without me?"

She nearly choked at the question, knowing _exactly _what he was referring to and wondering if he somehow knew about her dream from the night before.

"Don't," she said quietly, turning away from him and pretending to busy herself with a file. "I'd rather be given a time limit to transcribe a mountain of paperwork than listen to you mock our past."

"Fine," he shrugged, leaning against the desk beside her so close that she could feel the heat of his body bleeding through the layers of his expensive suit. "But I happen to _like_ our past."

"Liar," she said automatically, her face flushing with heat an instant later as she realized the implications of what she'd said.

"Okay, maybe not _all_ of our past," Damon allowed, seemingly unaware of how unsettled the impromptu trip down memory lane was making her. "But there are parts that I…look back on fondly."

Elena closed her eyes, pressing her lips together to keep them from trembling. "I don't even know who you are anymore," she whispered, turning completely away from him and heading toward the file cabinet.

She thought he'd left her after that, until he spoke. "Finally, it sinks in that I'm not the same guy you knew 'way back when,'" he replied from directly behind her, making her gasp as she realized he'd followed her. Her heart dropped painfully before galloping as she realized he was literally forcing her into a corner. Her eyelashes fluttered as he trailed a finger down her arm, causing the butterflies in her belly to flutter wildly. Placing his other hand on her hip, he gently turned her to face him, pushing her against a metal wall with his fingertips. "You're not the same Elena Gilbert I played Doctor with all those years ago, either," he murmured into her ear. "Are you?"

"Don't," she said again, feeling a traitorous warmth between her legs as his touch elicited sensations she was in no way prepared to deal with. "Seriously, Damon," she moaned softly, glancing over his shoulder, torn between hope that someone would walk by and put a stop to this and praying with everything in her that they wouldn't be interrupted. He shifted forward, gripping the edge of the filing cabinets on either side of her head, smiling, for once, without malice – though that didn't make the situation any easier. "What are you doing?"

His sideways smile widened as he leaned in closer. "Do you want me to stop?"

Her hands fluttered uselessly at her sides. "Anyone could come by here," she protested weakly, completely distracted by the curve of his lips. "Aren't there cameras? Giuseppe said they were everywhere."

"Kind of makes it more fun, doesn't it? The thrill of knowing you could be caught at any moment," he asked, the grin faltering slightly as his eyes darkened, his blue-eyed gaze trailing down to the neckline of her blouse. "Papa Salvatore likes you, anyway. You'll be fine." Licking his lips, he leaned forward, repeating, "Do. You. Want me to _stop_?"

Elena gulped, catching her lower lip between her teeth before he could see it tremble. Hell no, she didn't _want_ him to stop. She hadn't been this turned on in…well, she couldn't remember when and he'd barely touched her.

But he definitely_ needed_ to stop.

"I hate you," she declared, uncertain if she meant it or if she was simply continuing their game. Damon froze at her words, the grin completely gone as his gaze skipped between her eyes and her mouth.

"_Lie_," he whispered.

"You're such a dick," she breathed, blinking away tears that were now clouding her vision.

The corner of his mouth hooked up in a pained grin. "You knew that already."

Frozen solid as she stared him down, Elena wondered what the hell had happened in the past five minutes. How she could have gone from wanting Damon to leave her alone to _needing _him to kiss her. It wasn't right. She had a boyfriend. She had…fuck, what was his name? Groaning internally, she cursed herself. How the hell was she supposed to remember _anything _when Damon Salvatore was looking at her like he wanted to devour her whole? They were a mere breath apart. If he were to tilt his head just a few inches, he'd be kissing her.

Just a few centimeters…millimeters, really.

And then, he was.

Standing as still as a statue, Elena didn't respond at first as she waited for her body to catch up with her brain. Damon's lips were soft but sure against hers, demanding that she return the gesture until finally, like a stretched rubber band, she snapped and kissed him back.

With a moan of surrender, her mouth moved against Damon's as she wrapped her hands around his neck. He kissed her harder, attacking her mouth as his hands dove into the silky tresses of her hair. Pulling her face closer to his, his tongue tangled with hers as his hips pressed her harder into the filing cabinets. Elena knew that it was wrong. She'd nearly lost Elijah after moaning another man's name, and now she was kissing that same man.

But Damon had been right. She didn't want him to stop. In hindsight, she was sure that she'd regret this, but holy hell, was it hard to regret it right now.

Kissing Damon was exactly as she'd remembered it. Their mouths moved naturally together, their lips remembering every curve with perfect clarity that sent sparks of desire down her spine to throb between her legs. She wanted more – consequences, be damned.

"Damon," she breathed as his lips moved from her mouth to her neck.

Just as quickly as the kiss began, it ended.

Wrenching his mouth away from her and breathing heavily, Damon staggered backwards. Avoiding her confused gaze after a brief glance her way, he kept his eyes locked on the floor as he tried to catch his breath. He'd seen the hurt in her eyes before she could hide it and it annoyed him to no end that it bothered him, but solidified his decision to end things before they got out of hand. He loved that she had caved and didn't want to move things along too quickly.

He wanted this game to last.

_But goddamn, did she know what to do with her mouth. _

Clearing his throat, Damon straightened his tie and turned on his heel to duck into his office.

"Are you fucking serious?" Elena scoffed, making him come to a halt.

He shrugged, not bothering to look over his shoulder. "At the rate you were going, we would have given the old man quite the show," he explained, surprised by the effort it took to tease rather than insult. Clearly, he was out of practice at this whole being nice thing. "I'm not ready for him to drop dead of a heart attack just yet."

"_What?_" She gawked at him before giving a firm shake of her head. "No."

He cocked a brow. "No?"

"_No_," she growled, running her hand through her disheveled hair in an attempt to make it presentable. "You-you come on to me, you seduce me and then you…What is your _problem_?"

"Cardiomyopathy," Damon replied without missing a beat, crossing his arms and strolling back toward her. "It's a heart condition. Puts a bit of a damper on a lot of things," he explained, adding a conspiratorial wink. "But again, you knew that."

"Yeah, you have bad heart," Elena retorted, her cheeks still flushed red, her chest still heaving in a delightfully distracting way. "I didn't know you were Bipolar too."

"Elena," he tsked, stepping closer and lifting his hands to secure the top button of her blouse. Somehow, it had come undone in the midst of their groping session. "I actually make a nice gesture by trying to preserve your dignity and you use my health against me." He shook his head. "Such a mean little thing."

_June 2001_

Where the fuck is it?_ Damon wondered as he searched frantically for Elena's birthday present. Dropping to his knees for the second time, he looked under his bed. He'd looked everywhere for it and it was nowhere to be found. It couldn't have just gotten up and walked away! Maybe he had moved it and just…forgotten? _

Goddammit!

"_Lose something?"_

Shit.

"_Elena." He got up from the hardwood floor and rubbed his knees, hoping he didn't look as panicked as he felt. As he stared at her, sprawled on his grey bedspread and staring directly back, her doe eyes twinkling, all previous alarm vanished. "You."_

"_Me?" She rolled onto her stomach and cradled her face in her hands. "What did I do?"_

"_You _know _what," he smirked, shaking his head at her. He pulled her up by her hands and then playfully pushed her back down, smiling when she squealed with delight as she fell backwards. "You found it. I know you found it. So where'd you put it?"_

"_I have no idea what you mean," she shrugged, averting her gaze and kicking her feet as she slipped a tendril of hair behind her ear and exposed the smooth column of her throat, making Damon's eyes bug out of his head when he caught sight of what he'd lost dangling innocently around her neck._

"_Liar." He pointed to the decorated neck. "I wanted to surprise you but you had to go and be all impatient. You snuck into my room."_

_Elena bit her lip and giggled at his disappointed expression. "Damon," she smiled, sitting up and crawling off of the bed to wrap her arms around his waist. "I love it. It's so pretty." She stretched up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."_

"_You're mean," he grumbled, but returned her embrace nonetheless. "But I'm glad you like it."_

"Love_ it." _

_Pulling away, she walked over to the floor-length mirror that hung from the wall. Damon had bought her a white-gold necklace with an elegant infinity sign. She had refused to tell him what she'd wanted for her birthday, saying that she "really wouldn't care" if he hadn't gotten her anything but he knew her better than that. And _he_ had refused, buying her what he'd seen her spot and gush over in one of those Vogue – or was it Vague – magazines… _

"_Still mean."_

"_How was my hug mean?" she blinked at him with wide, innocent eyes._

"_Not your hug. My room, Elena. You broke into my room," he scoffed. "Mean. You are a mean little thing."_

Slapping Damon's hand away, Elena fixed her blouse herself. She could not _believe_ she'd given into him like that. What the hell was wrong with her? Why couldn't she get Damon out of her head? When she'd hugged Elijah the day before, she'd imagined Damon's arms wrapped around her waist, and when she'd kissed him she'd pictured her lips meshing with those of the blue-eyed ghost from her past.

And then she'd nearly been brought to orgasm by the mere memory of his words.

Dammit to hell, she didn't even _like_ Damon anymore! So what the fuck was going on?

"Sorry if I hurt your feelings," Elena said with a sniff as she tried to brush by him and walked down the hall. She took a seat in her chair, wheeling herself all the way up to the edge of her desk. Her stomach was in knots and she was sure he could hear the unevenness of her voice as she spoke. Oh god, all she wanted to do was just get the hell out of dodge. Obviously, she needed about a week's worth of sleep. Extreme exhaustion was the only explanation for her ridiculous behavior. Still feeling his eyes on her she added as emotionlessly as possible, "I've got work to do. So, if you'll excuse me."

Grabbing a file from the top of the pile, Elena buried her nose in it, ignoring Damon's chipper goodbye.

He casually made his way into his office, leaving the door open. If she had looked up, she might have caught the satisfied smirk on his face as he'd settled into his own leather desk chair. If what had just transpired between them was any indication on how things were going to go for him, then Operation Seduce and Destroy was off to a _fantastic _start.

* * *

_**AN: **Thank you so much for reading & please review! ~Kate_


	6. May you find some comfort here

_**AN:** Thank you all for continuing to support and express your love for this story. Also a big thank you to Mariah and LaylaReyne for their stellar beta'ing and pre-reading skills! You ladies are my heroes. And i__f any of you came to my rescue after the plagiarizing incident, then I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks. I couldn't believe how quickly you all acted! Thank you, thank you, _thank you_. I'll let you read the chapter now. Enjoy! ~Kate_

* * *

"Would you care to dance?"

Smiling brightly, Elena nodded, accepting Elijah's hand as he swept her onto the dance floor. They were at her brother's wedding reception, dancing amidst a sea of people she knew and loved. Elijah spun her elegantly, pulling her back into his arms right as his face began to change. Brown eyes morphed into blue and a once kind smile melted into a devilishly handsome lopsided grin that had always held the power to make her knees buckle.

"Damon," she murmured breathlessly as he drew her closer, one hand clutching hers while his other drifted to her lower back, bringing tiny goosebumps to the surface of her skin.

"Elena," he whispered, leaning forward and ghosting his lips across her jaw. "_Earth to Elena_."

Snapping back to reality with a jolt, she nearly fell out of her seat at the sound of his voice. Elena's heart raced and her breathing was heavy as her panicked gaze locked on Damon's face.

"Awe," he smirked as her shoulders sagged in relief that he wasn't his father. She could not afford to lose her job when she was just weeks away from taking the bar exam and hopefully joining the firm as its newest attorney. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," Elena said, running a hand though her hair and silently cursing as a yawn involuntarily poured from her lips. His eyebrow jumped in amusement as she nodded sheepishly. "Well, maybe."

"How's studying going so far?" Damon asked, leaning against the wall as he raked his gaze over her from head to toe. She looked like she was about to pass out at any second. Her eyes were glassy and her lids drooped every few seconds. When she didn't answer, he snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"Hmm?" Elena blinked rapidly. "Oh, it's going okay."

Damon smirked. "That well, huh? And you're catching a lot of shut-eye, I see."

"I'll be fine." Elena insisted, sitting up straighter and inhaling deeply, as if that would fill her with the energy she was lacking. "It's down to the last few weeks. It'll be better when it's done and over with."

"When you pass."

"_If_ I pass."

"True," he allowed with a shrug. "You might end up failing."

Elena glared at him._ Truce, Elena. Truce._ Instead of spewing a comeback that would surely ruin it, she stood to leave. Her fried nerves were starting to get the better of her and she needed to get a breath of fresh air.

Damon, however, had other plans, grabbing her wrist as she walked by him. She whipped her head around in surprise and he immediately let it go, as if she'd shocked him. "Sorry," he said, noting the startled look in her eye and choosing to tread carefully. "I'm not…_good _at this."

"And what would '_this'_ be?" she asked cautiously.

Damon gave her a sheepish smile, and for a second, Elena saw a glimmer of the boy she'd once known so well lingering in his gaze. "Playing nice."

_June 1990_

"_Play nice, sweetheart!" Lydia Salvatore cautioned her son, sending him off toward the sandbox with a gentle push. The Salvatore family had three acres of land, and had dedicated a fifth of it to their only son at the time. Elena and her family had just moved to Mystic Falls, and happened to be __living __in the Salvatore's neighborhood. Lydia and Miranda had become fast friends, and had set up a surprise play date for their children_

"_I will, Mama," four-year-old Damon Salvatore promised as he eyed the tiny brunette playing in _his_ sandbox grimly, having every intention of letting her know it. Stomping over to where she __was __squatting with her pail and shovel, he coughed loudly. The girl looked up from her sandcastle._

"_Excuse me," he poked her in her shoulder. "You're in my sandbox."_

"_Am not."_

"_Yes. You are…" he paused, frowning. "What is your name?"_

"_Elena."_

"_Well, E-lay-na," he said, "you are in my sandbox. My mama got me it for my birthday." He pointed to the side of it and gestured for her to look. "See? My name, my sandbox."_

"_My mommy said I could play here," she smiled. "So did my mommy's friend."_

"_You and your mommy and your mommy's friend are gonna be in trouble when I tell my mama that you're trepissing."_

_Her smile faltered. "Trepissing?"_

"_Yes. You're not allowed to be here if you don't have permishun. It's against the rules."_

"_But I am allowed to be here," Elena whimpered, her lower lip trembling. _

"_Your tears do nothing to me!" Damon crowed after briefly hesitating. "Nice try!" A tear slipped from one of Elena's big brown eyes, and Damon couldn't help but to roll his. "You're a cry baby."_

"_I am not!" she whined, standing up and brushing off the sand from her shorts. "I'm not a cry baby!"_

"_Are too."_

"_Am not!"_

"_Are. Too." _

_He gave her look that Elena had never seen__ from anyone__ before, and she'd never felt angrier. His lips did something weird, a corner of his mouth lifted upward while the other corner stayed put. It was like a smile, but it wasn't kind. Damon was trying to make her mad__der__, and so she did the first thing that came to her mind. Elena stood up, quickly scooped a bucket full of sand, and threw it __at __him._

"_Hey!" Damon cried, reaching up towards his eyes. "That wasn't very nice!"_

"_You called me a cry baby! That wasn't very nice either!" He cried harder and ran from the sandbox, up the hill to where his house was, as well as his mother. _

_Elena smiled triumphantly. She hadn't wanted to hurt him, but having made her point made her chest __to__ swell with pride. Minutes later, two adults and one sniffling blue-eyed boy walked up to her._

"_Elena Gilbert," her mother chided. "Why did you throw sand in Damon's face?"_

"_Damon?" Elena giggled. "That's a funny name."_

"_Is not!" Damon shouted._

"_Is too." Elena gave him the same look, the uneven smile he'd given her, and Damon's eyes widened. "I throwed it in his face cause Damon called me a cry baby."_

"_Damon," Lydia admonished. "You know better than to call people names."_

"_Sorry, Mama, but she is one. E-lay-na is a cry baby."_

"_So are you!" Elena shouted._

"_Nuh-uh, I had sand in my eye!"_

"_Enough," Lydia said. "Elena, honey, why did Damon call you a cry baby?"_

"_Because he said I wasn't allowed to play here. He said I was trepissing."_

_Both mothers burst into a fit of giggles. "Trespassing, sweetie," Miranda smiled. "Trespassing."_

"_You're very much allowed to be here, Elena," Lydia said. "Damon, apologize to her."_

"_What__?__!"_

"_Now."_

_Damon's brows dipped together as he crossed his arms. He kicked his foot in the grass petulantly before mumbling, "Sorry."_

"_What was that?" Lydia asked._

"_I said, sorry." He begrudgingly looked up at his mother._

"_Thank you. Now apologize to the person who deserves to hear it." Damon huffed before looking at __Elena__ and __giving her as genuine an apology__ as he could muster. When she beamed back at him, all trace of __distress __and hurt gone from her features, Damon smiled back. "The two of you can both share this sandbox. Now," Damon's mother asked, "can you learn to play nice?"_

_Both preschoolers nodded. _

"_Yes," Elena smiled and Damon nodded, coming to stand right beside her._

"_I can learn to play nice too!"_

"Yes," Elena said, a small smile pulling at her lips. "You've always had trouble, even when we were four year-olds –"

"Hey, if a kid goes near my toys, I make them regret it," he smirked. "My toys are _my_ toys."

Damon's oceanic irises danced playfully. He thoroughly enjoyed the way her eyes widened at his words, undoubtedly understanding the double-meaning. The light shade of pink tinting her cheeks made him certain that Operation: Seduce & Destroy was working perfectly.

"You weren't so bad after," she admitted, quickly looking down and smoothing out her skirt. "You even helped me finish my sandcastle."

"Yeah. After I got the sand out of my eyes. That crap burned."

"I never apologized for that," she giggled. "Whoops. And it was a nice sandcastle, wasn't it?"

"If you could call it that." When Elena scowled, he shrugged, a smirk teasing his lips. "What? You're not handy with sculpting. It was more of a glorified mound of sand before I came along and saved it."

"Ouch," she laughed. "You're right, though."

"When have I ever been wrong?" Damon leaned forward, placing his hands on her desk. "So, on a serious note," because she really did look terrible – dark circles and lack of focus didn't make for a good employee. "Have you been sleeping? You look dog-tired."

"I _am_ dog-tired."

"_Oh, _that boyfriend of yours is keeping you up pretty late, huh?" he asked with a waggle of his eyebrows, sitting on top of her desk, seeming to make himself at home. When she stiffened, Damon added, "Easy, Elena. I'm just saying. Maybe the two of you should take a break until after you've taken the exam."

"Not that it's any of your business, but…that actually may not be a bad idea," she said honestly, relaxing a bit. "I'm about to lose my mind. Maybe I should take a break from the firm too. I could talk to Giuseppe and –"

"No." Damon shook his head fiercely. "You can't - _don't_ want to do that."

"Why not?

_Because I have to have my fun first. _"Because it's hard to jump back into the swing of things around here, if you're gone for too long," he shrugged. "This firm's pretty fast-paced. You don't want to get lost in the shuffle, and you don't want to lose your all-but-guaranteed job offer here to some outsider, do you?"

"No, of course not," she frowned. "But I also don't want to fail this test because I was trying to take on too many things at once."

"I could help you study."

"Elijah's helping me study."

Damon scoffed, ignoring Elena's irritated reaction; her feathers had clearly been ruffled. "Sex isn't exactly a study method, Elena."

"Damon!"

"What? It's not. Unlike your boyfriend," he drawled, giving her his best panty-dropping smile, "I can keep my hands to myself." When Elena flushed again, he silently added, _I've still got it_. Before she could form a coherent response, he looked down at his watch and sighed. "Well, time to call it a day. You should get some sleep, Gilbert. You're no good to this place half-dead."

"Yeah." She nodded, shutting down her computer after saving her work files. "I would, but I have a date with Elijah tonight. It's Friday so I'll be able to sleep in for an hour tomorrow."

"Ooh, an hour. You're really a rebel," he teased, bracing a hand on her desk as she reached under it to grab her purse. When she sat back up, she felt his breath in her ear as he whispered. "Make sure to do something I'd do."

She swallowed, trying to keep her composure as she stammered. "So that means a boring night then?"

"You're hilarious," he smirked, pulling away from her and grazing his fingertips along her shoulder blades. She bit her lip and somehow managed to stifle the shudder that threatened to wrack her entire body under his touch. Relief flooded through her as Damon walked away. Taking a shaky breath, she quickly gathered the rest of her things from her desk and left it.

Stepping into the elevator, Elena pushed the button for the lobby, her emotions and thoughts a spinning, twirling, whirling blur of annoyance, confusion, elation and…satisfaction. Her interaction with Damon had felt unbelievably natural (something she hadn't felt in a long time with him), and she wasn't quite sure why that was. It could have simply been their truce – it was forcing them to put aside their anger for the good of the firm. It could also have been the fact that they were reminiscing about the first time they met, twenty-three years prior.

Elena had a sneaking suspicion, the more she thought on it, that it had something to do with the way he kept looking at her; the way his gaze had flashed with mischief and made her second guess everything she thought she knew about their…relationship. She knew that she and Damon still had issues – that was no secret – but with the way things seemed to be going, especially after today, she felt like they'd be able to move past them, and _maybe _they could even learn to be friends again.

Her phone started ringing, abruptly pulling her out of her head. She rummaged through her purse and slid her thumb across the screen, seeing it was from an unknown number and she brought it to her ear."Hello?"

"Hello, Elena."

"Damon? What's wrong? Did I forget anything?" she asked as she lingered in the elevator, prepared to go back up if she had to. "I'm still in the building. I know I've been a bit scatter-brained lately, but –"

"Everything's fine," he drawled over the line. "You didn't forget anything. I was actually wondering if you'd like to grab dinner with me sometime next week."

Her heart jumped at the thought. "Are you sure that's appropriate?"

"Appropriate? What's a dinner between…friends, Elena?"

"But Elijah –"

"Has nothing to worry about," he said easily. "And we can study for the bar exam before. Or after."

"You don't have to –"

"Or during. Look, Elena…I want to help. You're obviously not getting any study time in with your smooth-talking beau. You know I was the reason you passed that history test freshman year in high school, so let me help you now."

"I don't know…"

"What's the worst that could happen?"

_Only everything, _she thought bitterly, recalling her all too vivid dreams of late. After a moment of deliberation, Elena nodded. "Okay. Okay, Damon. I'd like that."

"Great. We'll discuss the details on Monday then. Have a good night with Lover Boy."

"Bye, Damon," she said quietly.

"Goodbye, Elena."

Her heart twisted with anxiety as soon as the call ended.

Dinner with Elijah tonight and then with Damon next week? What the hell was she going to do? Granted, dinner with Damon wouldn't be romantic. It wouldn't be a date. It was simply a dinner between old, old friends and nothing more and there was nothing wrong with a dinner between friends, right?

But then there was Elijah and she wasn't sure if he'd see it the same way…. especially after what had happened recently.

What would he think? Would he be alright with it? Would he forbid her from spending time with Damon? Her boss? A_ friend_? She didn't see Damon as anything more – she _didn't – _but it didn't make her feel any better.

In fact the only thing Elena felt was unbelievably guilty.

* * *

Damon put his phone down as Giuseppe walked into his office and took a seat without saying a word. They stared at each other emotionlessly for over a minute before the silence finally got to Damon. "Are you going to talk?"

"Are you going to discuss what happened with Elena?"

"And…_what _happened with Elena?" Damon asked, twisting his mouth and raising both eyebrows as he stared at his father with mock-curiosity.

Giuseppe leaned forward, shaking his head before giving him a genuine smile. "You're taking her out to dinner?"

Damon's parents had always pushed for him and Elena to end up together – so had hers, actually. In fact, he was positive that – apart from ruining Damon's life – it had been one of the main reasons the old man had hired her.

Rolling his eyes, Damon leaned back in his own chair. "Here we go," he sighed, knowing his response would be met with either a) a long string of questions, or b) scolding, by virtue of the simple fact that Damon could never do anything right. Either way, he was prepared. "Yes. I am."

"Damon, Elena is a busy woman," Giuseppe reprimanded – as expected. "You need to let her study for her bar exam. I am all for you two getting together and reuniting, you know this, but –"

"Whoa!" Damon interrupted, blinking furiously and folding his brows. "Hang on a second. Who the hell said anything about getting together?"

His father frowned. "Aren't you?"

He shook his head furiously. "No!"

"But…you're taking her to dinner," Giuseppe stated with a perplexed expression.

Damon rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Yes. Christ, as a _friend,_ Dad. She's not my girlfriend." No, no, no, _fuck _no, definitely not.

"So what are you doing?" Giuseppe scoffed, closing his eyes as his brows dipped in confusion. "Toying with her?"

"And what are _you_ doing? Eavesdropping?"

"I told you, son. Elena is like a daughter to me. You are my son. Believe it or not, I do want you _both_ to be happy." He stood up and loomed over Damon's desk, pressing his palms against it, suddenly glaring at him. "But so help me, God. If you hurt her, Damon…"

"You'll what?" he growled, his mood taking a nosedive as his father inadvertently hit the nail on the head. "We've been through this dance before! You won't…you…" he trailed off, his words dying down as he felt a tightening sensation in his chest. Grimacing, Damon shut his eyes tightly. "Shit," he muttered, inhaling deeply.

"Damon…"

"What?" he hissed.

"Don't just sit there, dammit!" Giuseppe snapped. "Take your medicine."

Damon eyes flew open, glaring daggers at his father for bossing him around as if he was a five-year-old, but he grabbed the handle of his top desk drawer, pulled it open and reached for the tiny plastic bottle he hid from the rest of his co-workers. He popped the pills into his mouth and slammed his palm on the desk's surface, waiting for the medicine to work it's slow-as-hell magic. His father had disappeared, reappearing and handing him a cup of water.

"Thanks."

Giuseppe shook his head disapprovingly. "You're not taking care of yourself, Damon."

"Like hell I'm not, I've been taking my meds."

"Are they even working?"

Damon blanched, realizing that his face must have been showing the discomfort he was feeling. He waved Giuseppe off dismissingly. "Of course they're working."

"You look like you're in pain."

"That's because you're still here," he quipped.

"Don't do that, Damon."

Avoiding his gaze, Damon clenched his jaw at his father's particular brand of parental concern. "I'm fine. You know better than anyone that it takes a little while before it kicks in."

"You're right, but you've been struggling more than I did at your age," Giuseppe said, eyeing his son worriedly. "Maybe you should get checked out. You better be careful, son."

"Trust me. I know," Damon said roughly, his temper worsening as Giuseppe's choice words pulled yet another memory from the depths of his mind that he'd tried to keep buried.

_August 2002_

_With her parents once again out of town, Elena was staying over at the Salvatore house for the weekend. She'd gotten used to being without one parent, but both of them being gone had left her nervous; her parents had set her up to stay at the next place she felt the most comfortable, and the least alone. Dropping her off at the sidewalk, Elena waved goodbye to her father and headed up the path to the home of her second family. Before she could knock, the door began to open._

"_Elena," Lydia beamed, urging her to come inside. "We're going to have fun this weekend, don't you worry, sweetheart."_

"_Thank you so much for having me," Elena said as she crossed the threshold and the door shut behind her. "I really can't thank you enough."_

"_Nonsense, Elena. You're like a daughter to me. I'm thrilled you're here!" Elena couldn't fight the smile that broke out onto her face after hearing one of her favorite sounds on the planet. Damon was playing the piano. "He's in the parlor. Go on in."_

"_Thank you!" _

_Elena had wanted to sneak up on him, but she found herself distracted by the music filtering down the hallway. It was a stunning piece, whatever it was, and she'd never heard him play anything like it before. Walking into the parlor, she found Damon seated at his bench, coaxing the most beautiful notes from the keys with a precise and practiced skill._

"_You better be careful, Damon," Elena giggled, taking a seat beside him and pulling her knees up to her chest. It was the usual way she sat when she listened to her best friend play. Closing her eyes, she let the music envelop her. "You're going to__ have__ a lot of women falling over themselves to get to you if you keep this up, you know."_

_Damon's fingers continued to glide effortlessly along the keys. He was unbelievably talented. She knew that the only reason he wasn't pursuing music was because his father had belittled and intimidated him to the point that not even he believe__d__ that he could make a living doing what he loved._

_It was just before their sophomore year at Mystic Falls High, their first day was on Monday and while Elena was nervous about what to expect, Damon hadn't been __concerned __in the least. He didn't give two shits about what the rest of the student body thought __of __him – never had – and Elena knew he wished she didn't either. She nudged him playfully, smiling when he turned his head to give her a grin as he kept playing. She'd been stressed beyond belief about the new school year starting in just a week, but just like always__,__ Damon had made all her worries dissipate into nothing._

"_You're just saying that," he smirked. "The girls are going to be exactly the same. They'll think I'm an orchestra dork just like they do now."_

"_They will not! Trust me, there's something to be said for a guy who can make music. They'll see it." She nodded her head to the piano and asked. "What is this anyway?"_

"_Doubt it," he shook his head with a scoff. "And it's one of Yiruma's_."

"_Whose?"_

"_Yiruma. He's a damn talented pianist. This piece_ _came out a while ago, but I just found it, and I've been addicted to it lately. I don't even know why."_

"_It's so pretty." _

_Elena once again found herself watching his hands as they moved over the keys__. She laid__ her head against his shoulder, snuggling up to him as she let the piece further soothe her already waning apprehension about the next week._

"'_Maybe.'"_

"_Mmm…" Elena murmured into his shoulder, completely relaxed by the music. "Maybe what?"_

"_No," Damon chuckled, placing a quick kiss on the top of her head. "That's the name of the song, Elena."_

"_Oh," she laughed. "Well, I like it. Make me a tape or something? I want to listen to it whenever I want."_

"Okay," _he said, rolling his eyes as the melody came to an end. He threw one leg over the bench, straddling it to face her__,__ and took her chin in his hand and tilted her face to meet his. "I think you just might be the only girl who enjoys this. Having music played for them as if they're some kind of princess."_

"_Nope," Elena told him quietly, smiling up at him and scrunching her nose, causing him to laugh again. Her face fell moments later, and she pulled out of his hold and shrugged, getting ready to stand but Damon grabbed her wrist and yanked her back down. "Oof. What?"_

"_Something's wrong." He eyed her with a narrowed gaze. "Speak."_

"_Nothing's wrong."_

"_Lie," he shot back, noting her obvious wince._

"_Yes," she frowned, nodding and dropping her gaze._

"_Truth, Elena. Now. Spill it."_

_Elena fidgeted, wishing she could take back what she'd said about the high school girls. "Trust me, okay? Just watch. I'm going to be all pissed off when they figure out how great you really are, and try to steal you away from me so you can cater to their every whim."_

"_Oh my god, Elena," Damon chuckled. "You really think I'd become, what, a piano-playing playboy who seduces countless girls with my insane talent, good looks and then fu–"_

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Elena gasped, her countenance one of pure mortification__, knowing__ where he was going with that statement. "Stop it, Damon! I don't want to – I said nothing about – ew! I mean – what?!"_

"_What?" he laughed at her incoherent ramblings. "You said it yourself. It could very well happen. I'm a man of _many _talents."_

"_Yep. One of them being your uncanny ability to annoy me."_

"_That's what friends are for!" _

_Elena giggled, playfully shoving him. "I'm going to go unpack and set up my guest room. When I get back downstairs, I'll be expecting a recording of that song you just played on a CD. Got it?"_

"_You got it, babe."_

Elijah had been discussing different styles of music and favorite instruments and preferred artists for ten minutes before she started remembering her _own_ preferred artist. He'd always been talented, but Elena highly doubted he'd kept up with the skill.

"You've hardly touched your food," Elijah stated. When he touched her hand, it brought Elena back to the present and she looked up at him.

_Fuck. _

The memory of how Damon had played that piano piece, promising her that he'd never let any woman get in the way of what they had and how easy it used to be between the two of them had kept her from fully enjoying her meal with her boyfriend. She'd been completely distracted the entire night and while she understood it wasn't fair to Elijah, Elena couldn't help but have her thoughts on somebody else.

Elena nodded at his quiet statement, though he knew her well enough by now to know when she was lying. Her doe-like eyes conveyed nothing but the truth, and he was no fool. He saw the obvious disconnect between them, flashing like a neon light.

"Is everything alright at work?"

"It's stressful," she answered truthfully.

It was. Damon had been acting more civil lately, but that kiss had still happened and she hadn't told her boyfriend about it – even though he deserved to know. Elena looked up at him and set her fork on her plate. She didn't have an appetite at the moment and could hardly think about food when her every thought was about Damon.

"Between work and the bar and trying to be a good girlfriend, Elijah," she inhaled deeply, the latter part of her sentence making her think, _I failed on that note._ "I…don't know if I can do it all."

"You're doing well so far."

_That you can see, _she muttered silently."I'm drowning."

Damon had seen right through her, had understood that she was going to lose her mind, go absolutely insane, if she didn't get a decent night's sleep. Elijah, on the other hand, meant well and insisted that she was Wonder Woman, capable of handling anything that was thrown her way, even though she was sure she was about to crumble under the pressure of trying to multitask and succeed at doing so at any given moment.

"Maybe you should take some time off from the firm," he suggested.

Elena shook her head. "I can't afford to let someone come in and take my place while I'm gone."

"Then maybe you and I should take a break?"

Her eyes snapped to meet his. "I don't want that," she frowned, ignoring the small part of her that breathed a huge sigh of relief at the suggestion. "I don't."

"I know, but something has to give, sweetheart. If you don't think you can juggle everything, then you shouldn't have to. We'll take a break. We'll keep in touch, and we'll be together again after the exam. Everything will be fine, Elena." He cleared his throat and added, "I'd hate to think that I'm one of the reasons you're so stressed. I don't want to be."

"I know you don't," she smiled sadly, her heart tugging painfully. She couldn't believe that Elijah had not only initiated a break up – _break –_ but was also now holding her hand and telling her it was all going to be okay. How could he have possibly known that? Elijah seemed so confident that they were going to be able to pick things up where they left off, but Elena wasn't as sure, especially with her thoughts constantly drifting to a certain blast from her past.

* * *

Arriving at her apartment around midnight, Elena promptly got into the shower, lingering there for a long, long time. She let the water wash away everything that was bogging her down and by the time she stepped out she felt marginally better. Changing into a fresh pair of pajamas, she grabbed her jasmine and vanilla shea butter bar and melted some of it onto her hands. She'd just finished massaging the emollient onto her arms when her phone started to ring. Drying off her hands with a nearby towel, she answered it.

"Hello?" she yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I know it's late," Damon's voice came over the line, "Elena…. I'm sorry, I just…I thought you'd want to know…she always said you were family. I'm sorry…"

"It's fine," she replied quickly, straightening up as concern pushed away her fatigue. Something was wrong. Damon was stumbling over his words and his voice was shaky and strained. Her stomach fell to the floor. "Is something wrong with Mama Salvatore?" she asked worriedly, her heart dropping as she had a sinking feeling where this conversation was going. "Damon what…what happened?"

"_Elena_," he choked out, his voice breaking with devastation.

Elena listened numbly as Damon relayed the information she never could have been prepared for. Lydia had come down with pneumonia three months prior, before he and Elena knew they were going to be working together. Her weak immune system had been unable to fight off the disease. Unfortunately, it had claimed her life.

"I'll be right there," Elena promised, wiping tears off of her cheeks as she threw on a pair of tennis shoes and grabbed a coat, not even bothering to change out of her nightwear. "Where are you?" she asked, quickly writing down his location. Before she had a chance to question him on it, Damon had hung up.

Elena couldn't believe he'd gone to a bar.

Well, yes, she could actually.

It was very much in character for him to try to numb his pain with alcohol, but his heart condition could make matters significantly worse. Elena did _not _want to relive what had happened to him when they were younger. That event, and the pain that had resulted from it, had been more than enough for one lifetime.

Arriving at the bar, she grimaced as she climbed out of her taxi. The place looked like a dump – rusted tin roof, dirty windows, and tacky neon lights that formed the title _The Joint._ Damon was in there, though, and he needed her. Wrapping her coat tightly around herself, Elena paid the cab driver to wait for them and ventured inside. It was nearly 1 am, and her fatigue had resurfaced. She simply wanted to get in and get out with Damon as quickly as possible. Taking a look around, and finding the place nearly empty, she saw him sitting on a stool, his elbows on the bar with his head in his hands – no drink in sight, thank God.

"Damon," she breathed with a sigh of relief. "Why did you come here? You should be with Stefan and Giuseppe."

"I should be drunk," he clarified sullenly, keeping his back to her. "But I'm not. I'm here, in a bar, 100% sober."

Elena nodded, walking up to him and taking a seat at the bar. He shifted his eyes to glance at her. The look in his eyes was one of complete and utter desolation. "How are you doing?" she asked softly, wincing at her own words as he responded coldly.

"My mother just died. I am doing fan-fucking-tastic, Elena."

"I'm so sorry," she told him. "Damon, I –"

"You know," he said, eyeing her peripherally. "She wanted you to be her daughter. Well, she wanted you to be a daughter-in-law, because that's as close to a mother-daughter relationship she would've been able to have with you, but…yeah. You were already family in her eyes." Elena opened her mouth, but Damon cut her off with cruel words that Lydia would have hated. "She's dead now though, and her dream died right along with her."

Before she could control the impulse, Elena slapped him across the face. Damon simply took it as she shook her head disappointedly. "What the hell is the matter with you?" she demanded angrily. "Why are you acting like this?"

"My mother's dead!" he snarled. "The only person in the whole fucking world, who – no matter how badly I fucked up – was always there for me, is dead! She was there, Elena, and now she's not." His voice cracked with those last words, and his brilliant blue eyes flashed dangerously. He angrily jumped off his raised seat and stormed off.

Elena, however, was not about to let him get away so easily. He'd called her at midnight for Christ's sake, asking her to come to him and now he was pushing her away, refusing to talk to her.

"You don't get to do that!" she shouted, chasing him out into the parking lot. The wind was strong, blowing her hair in every direction, the chill in the air seeping into her bones, along with the feeling of Damon's cold shoulder. "You don't get to shut me out, Damon!" He came to a halt but she kept going. "Lydia meant something to me too! You call me, tell me she's dead and then expect me to what, be okay with you forcing me out here to be your shoulder to cry on or whatever that excuse for grieving was, but then you don't allow me to get you through it, much less allow _me_ the time to talk through it myself?"

Elena was breathless by the time she'd gotten that all out, and relieved when Damon whirled around to look at her, even though he was wearing an incredulous expression. "What the fuck? Are you kidding me right now?"

Elena just glared at him.

"I called you, _Elena,_ because _yes,_ you and my mother had some weird-as-hell bond, and I thought you'd want to know. Thought I was doing a good deed or whatever. I did_ not_, however, call you to be 'my shoulder to cry on,'" he air-quoted, quickly adding, "and I did _not _cry! Okay? I don't fucking cry!"

"Whatever," she scoffed.

"By the way," he snarled. "Who the fuck are _you_ to judge what the right way to grieve is? Where do you get off saying I'm not allowing _you_ the time to do it? Seriously? Could you be anymore selfish?" he laughed humorlessly. "Oh, but wait, that's _me_, isn't it? I was taking up all the grieving time! I'm the selfish one for being upset that my mom's just kicked the fucking can!"

"God," she shook her head, fury building within her. "That's not what I meant, Damon…I just…" she inhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

Yelling at each other wasn't getting them anywhere. If they were going to get through this without any more hurtful words coming out of their mouths, then they were going to have to calm down. Or _she _was. Damon didn't look like he had any interest in calming down any time soon and words wouldn't get her very far anyway. They didn't ground him.

He was grounded by something else.

Approaching cautiously, as if he was a frightened animal, Elena wrapped her arms around his waist and waited for his reaction. Damon was either going to shove her away from him, or relax into her arms.

_Shit,_ Damon thought, tensing, but not pulling away.

Things had gotten out of hand, but then, that was how they worked. It was how they'd always worked. One would say something stupid in the heat of the moment, realize it too late and regret it, leaving them in an even deeper shithole than they'd been before. Damon had just learned his mother had passed away, and while his brother and father were at the hospital, calling the funeral home to make arrangements, here he was, in the parking lot of a bar with a girl he'd loved since he was four years old.

Elena had a point.

Elena Gilbert was infuriating as hell, but she meant well and she was right.

She'd come to Damon per his request, hoping to comfort him after his loss. His heart was stuttering, struggling to calm the fuck down, and when he felt her arms come around him, it did just that. He froze for a brief moment before relaxing slightly into her embrace. Never in a million years had he thought that he'd allow her to _touch_ him like this again, but surprisingly, Damon found himself bringing his hands up to loosely splay along her lower back. Elena jumped a bit and stared up at him, obviously surprised.

Damon looked down as she murmured her apologies. "I _never _meant for you to feel like you weren't grieving the right way or to make you feel like our pain is in the same category. I loved your mom as if she were mine, Damon. I did. But she _was_ yours. I'm sorry."

He nodded, having trouble finding his voice.

"Would…do…Damon, do you want to come home with me?"

"You want me to what?" he blurted out, having quickly found it.

"I didn't mean it like that," she quickly explained, blushing beautifully in the glow of the streetlights. "I just…I think you need someone tonight, Damon. Giuseppe has his work, Stefan has Katherine…"

"And I…have you." Damon's eyes widened at the words that flew out of his mouth before he had a chance to censor himself. He could hardly believe it, and looking into Elena's eyes, he could see she was just as surprised. What the fuck was happening to him? "I mean I –"

"No, Damon," she interrupted, nodding and giving him a small smile while tightening her arms around his torso. "You do." She bit her lip and then said, "I'm…I'm right here."

* * *

"Your apartment is tiny as shit, Gilbert."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Elena laughed softly as she ushered him into her home. "It's New York City. I can't afford the penthouse just yet."

She watched Damon wander around the small space, curiously exploring her 'tiny-as-shit' living area. He made his dislikes known: everything from her flooring to her paint job – neither of which she'd had any control over. He also made the things he approved of known, including her furniture set and décor. He started to examine her picture frames, and lifted one into the air.

Curious to see which photo he'd picked up, Elena stepped closer. Her throat tightened when she saw it was of the day they met. Lydia was holding Damon on one hip, random flecks of sand caught in his dark hair, and Elena on Miranda's. The two toddlers weren't even looking into the lens, only having eyes for each other.

"I miss her," he said roughly. "I should have been there, Elena. She was at home, we were gone. We were always gone and maybe if–"

"Damon, don't." He looked over at her, meeting her dark brown gaze as she pleaded for him to listen to her. "There wasn't anything you could have done."

"Maybe there was," he half-shrugged. "I'll never know."

"Don't let the 'what if's' drive you insane, Damon. They will if you let them."

He surprised her when he smirked, and she smiled in return. His eyes drifted away from her, locking on something located in the far corner that had caught his attention. It was peeking out from under her bed.

"What the hell is that?"

"What the hell is what?" Elena turned around and found what he'd been staring at. "Oh."

Damon moved toward the bed, pulling the keyboard out from under the bed and resting it across his lap. "You're kidding. You play now?" he asked, seeming to be genuinely interested. "Are you any good?"

Elena eyed the keyboard and shrugged. "I've tried…. and failed," she crossed her arms uncomfortably, "often."

Damon chuckled and turned on the 'Power' button.

"When I play, it just sounds like a jumbled mess," she warned him.

Elena sat down next to him, but he hardly noticed. God, he missed his piano. He'd been forced to leave it behind with Lydia in Mystic Falls when he and Giuseppe and Stefan had moved to New York, and he hadn't had the chance to go home and pick it up.

His fingers grazed over the buttons, and he saw two of them that stuck out to him.

'Record' and 'Play.'

Damon figured that Elena, in her attempt to learn the skill, had recorded her practice and he wanted to hear it for himself, knowing that she'd rather have her fingers cut off than try to perform a piece and make a fool of herself. Pressing 'Play,' he heard something that was far, far from a jumbled mess.

"Elena," he swallowed, looking up at her when the first notes filled the small apartment. "You learned how to play '_Maybe__'_?"

She nodded, and then went on to explain that she had actually looked up Yiruma's album. It was one of his first, back in 2001, called _First Love_ and she'd found the sheet music for the song he'd played for her all those years ago. She'd practiced and practiced, and she'd finally gotten it, not bothering to learn anything else. Nothing else had meant enough to her.

"Well," he said, clearing his throat. "You, uh, you did well."

"I wasn't bad," she agreed quietly, blushing when she felt his stare on the side of her face with the eyes that still had the same power to melt her into a puddle as they had when they were younger. "But I'm not you." She looked in his direction, intentionally avoiding his gaze. "Do you remember how to play it?"

Damon nodded, and after she'd helped him get the settings to where it would let him play with the sound of a grand piano as opposed to that of a high-pitched techno-fused chaotic mess that was an electrical keyboard, his fingers flew over the keys, filling the room with his talent. As he played, Elena breathed deeply and laid back into her mattress. She let the notes calm and soothe her in the same way they had the last time Damon had played for her.

"I haven't played this in years," he told her.

"I haven't listened to this in years."

"You just said you listened to it over and over," he quipped with a raised brow. "You lying to me, Gilbert?"

"No," she answered. "I mean, I listened to the original, but there's nothing quite like hearing you play it, Damon. I don't know. It's silly, but your version, even this time around…it's different. There's something… darker about it." She shook her head, even though she knew Damon wouldn't be able to see it as his back was facing her while he continued to press the appropriate keys to generate her favorite song. "It's a lot more haunting now than it was the last time you played it and it's weird because the piece is so bright."

"Sorry it's not up to your perky expectations," he snorted.

"Don't be. I like this one more. You have a gift, Damon. You've always had that gift."

"It's a hobby," Damon shrugged, deliberately making his voice sound indifferent.

"You should have pursued it. I know how much you loved to play."

"Dad. Blame my dad."

"Right," she giggled, sitting up and bracing her weight on her elbows as he gently set the keyboard on the floor beside the bed. He looked over his shoulder at her and for the first time in…she couldn't even remember when, his eyes that were as blue as a crystal pool were soft, and carried none of the bitterness she'd seen in the last couple of months. As Elena opened her mouth to speak, a yawn tore through her instead and Damon grinned.

"I should go. It's," he looked over at the clock on her nightstand, "Jesus, it's like, 3:30 in the morning, Elena. You need to sleep."

"I do need to sleep," she conceded. "But you need a friend more."

"Elena..."

"It's fine."

"You're right. I'm a big boy. I'll be fine. It'll be fine."

"Stop it." Elena scooted over until she had claimed one side of the bed and patted the other side for him to lie down. "You're right. It's late, so just stay here. I don't want you to get mugged or something on your way home."

Two months before, Damon would have jumped at the chance for Operation: Seduce & Destroy to progress. He could have smooth-talked her, maybe even stolen a kiss.

But now...

Well, now, he wasn't sure what the hell he was jumping at, but jump he did. He kicked off his shoes and socks, unbuttoned his shirt, tossed it on the floor and then laid down next to Elena.

She clapped off the lights. Yes, she actually clapped – like they did in those shitty commercials that had aired forever ago.

"You have a Clapper," he stated. "Really, Elena?"

"Don't hate on my laziness."

"I don't hate a lot of things."

Damon actually smiled at the peal of mirth that came out of her. He didn't care either, since he was cloaked by the shadow of darkness, but he had to stifle his own laughter. He'd forgotten how good it was to hear her laugh. It sounded almost bell-like and it had always been one of his favorite sounds.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked. "You're one of those people who hates anything that breathes."

"I don't hate people," he sighed heavily, but she could hear the lightness in his voice. "I simply feel better when they're not around." A few moments later, a rush of words came out before he could stop it. "And you should know that I stopped hating you."

_Aw, fuck._

"You're not so bad," he quickly amended, fervently hoping to mask the awkwardness that was leaking into the atmosphere. Damon had treated Elena horribly and he still had Seduce & Destroy in the back of his mind, but…she'd changed. She was no longer the indecisive little brat that she used to be, and his bitterness had thawed since being around her. Or hell, maybe it had been him. Either way, they'd started to reconnect in ways he'd never thought were possible again. Although he wasn't sure how to feel about _that_ development, Damon _was_ certain that he didn't hate Elena anymore.

A few minutes passed, and Damon wondered if Elena had fallen asleep on him. He wouldn't be mad if that were the case, because he knew she was in dire need of catching up on her Z's in order to not be a total zombie at work when the weekend was up, but there was something about being alone with her in this way.

It felt…intimate.

Testing her consciousness, Damon's hand slid to the middle of the bed, tapping the back of hers with his fingertips when he found it. "Hey," he whispered. "Are you asleep?"

"Almost," she mumbled. "Are you?"

"Almost," he smirked, eyeing the shape of her face through the darkness. He didn't know what else to say, so he decided to let her sleep. "Goodnight, Elena."

Yes, Damon was suddenly sure about a lot of things. Despite everything that had happened, he and Elena had managed to form a new bond, even if only a work-based one after he'd originally thought it impossible. He wasn't sure if he could forgive Elena yet, if ever, but Damon realized he could definitely let go of the past…and that was most definitely a start.

With those thoughts, he allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness right along with her.

* * *

_**AN:** Thank you so much for reading & please review! ~Kate_


	7. Time, truth, and hearts

_**AN:** Yay! Not too bad of a wait this time. Not even three weeks! Just over two! Not too bad, right? RIGHT? ;) Seriously, though. Thank you to those who continue to support this story with your thoughtful reviews and for being so patient with me! Some of your responses have me "aww'ing" and some have me cackling like a maniac at your theories about what is going to happen. Your reviews do mean the world. _

_And no one's complained lately, again you guys are wonderful and patient and awesome, but I feel the need to explain that I'm constantly writing in my free time. Like, I have up to chapter 12 finished. It may take a little while to get a chapter posted, but I'm never not working on my story if I have the time to do so. Also, my beta and pre-readers are wonderful, but they have lives and I'm not going to beg them to drop everything in order to edit._

_ Speaking of wonderful women, I'd like to thank Cheryl (Cher Sue) for pre-reading, Layla (Layla Reyne) for pre-reading and helping me with the legal material in this story and, as always, Mariah (mchriste22) for the fabulous beta work she's done for my stories for over a year (a year!) now. _

_After the longest AN in history, we finally get to story. This is a bit of a longer chapter (like, 9,400 words, NOT an extra 500 - damn dividers). Anyway, I hope you don't mind! Please enjoy chapter 7! ~Kate_

* * *

Wake up.

Study.

Work.

Study some more.

Sleep. Sorta.

Wake up and repeat the same exhausting day all over again.

For weeks, as Elena's bar exam grew closer and closer, she labored through the same monotonous, rigorous routine until she just couldn't take it anymore. Desperate for a change and having reached her limit flying solo, she decided to shake things up a bit that weekend morning.

She called Damon.

As she waited for him to answer, her thoughts carried her to how she thought he might have been coping.

When Lydia had died, they'd both leant on each other for support and in doing so, they'd relived some beautiful memories that neither needed to speak out loud about. They'd repaired a couple of broken strings that had been snapped in their past. She'd missed him. Of course she missed him. He still held a special place in her heart as irrevocable as a sharpie to paper. He couldn't be erased.

When they'd awoken that morning, things hadn't gone the way she'd expected them to and made her feel slightly guilty for letting him sleep in her bed. The reason of her guilt being because of the feelings she'd felt upon realizing that he'd been holding onto her tightly, as if she was going to disappear. She'd shuffled slightly in her bed sheets to maneuver out of his embrace. If Elijah had showed up unannounced, like he sometimes had a tendency to do, then she wasn't sure what she'd have done.

"Elena?" Damon had mumbled sleepily, his breath tickling her ear and she'd smiled sadly, wanting nothing more than to stay in his embrace but knowing it wasn't right. It was clear that he hadn't yet realized his arms were wrapped around her and she'd braced herself for the moment it hit him. When it did, his hold had tightened momentarily before releasing her and he'd chuckled. "Well, this is unexpected."

While waking up that morning together could have been the most awkward thing in the world, it wasn't. They'd each brushed it off and pretended that it wasn't nearly as big a deal as she'd thought it was in her head. They'd even gone so far as to get breakfast, before the lightness from the morning had started to fade and the reality of the reason for their union had settled in.

He'd said that he planned on calling Giuseppe so that he and his brother could figure out details for Lydia's funeral. She'd wanted to be buried at the old Salvatore family plot, which was back in Mystic Falls. When she'd offered her condolences again, he'd acknowledged her sincerity and had appreciated it. She was more than stunned that she'd kept it together and not spilled to him what had happened to her parents. She'd wanted to tell him she knew what he was going through, because she did. The time would come for him to know, but he'd needed her and she'd been there for him.

Damon picked up on the fourth ring with a familiar greeting. "Hello, Elena."

"Hi."

"Was there a reason you called, or?"

"Yes…I need your help."

"Okay. With?"

"Just studying," she insisted after the surprising speed with which he'd agreed to help. Of course, he'd been the one to offer – a lifetime ago, before his mother's death – but it still surprised her.

The fact that Damon's kindness and friendship still had the ability to surprise her also broke her heart.

He showed up less than half an hour after her call, sneering at the flashcards she had clutched in her hand. "I hope you didn't just memorize what you wrote down," he said, raising a skeptical brow as he took as seat at her tiny kitchen table.

"Why?" she asked, looking at her carefully made cards in alarm. "What's wrong with flashcards?"

"There's nothing wrong with flashcards," he smirked, taking the notecards from Elena as she sat down. "But I might ask a few of my own questions. Alright. What are we focusing on today?"

Elena noticed that even though Damon looked tired, his eyes seemed bluer, almost silvery. She discreetly eyed him up and down and holy hell did he look good in a T-shirt and jeans.

"Elena?" Damon pressed and she blinked back up at him.

"Um," she looked at her study-at-home schedule. "Criminal Law."

"Okay then," he said, flipping through the flashcards before choosing one. "Elements of burglary. Name 'em.

Smiling, Elena held up her hand, ticking off each answer on her fingers as she replied, "_One_, the breaking. _Two_, the entering. _Three_, into the dwelling, _four_, of another, with _five_, the intent to commit a felony therein."

Her smile remained bright as Damon shook his head. "You missed one."

"You didn't let me finish," she answered proudly. "_Six_, at night…depending on the jurisdiction."

The corner of his mouth twitched as he regarded her for a moment before moving on. "Larceny versus robbery?"

"Larceny is the taking and carrying away of the personal property of another, without consent and with the intent to steal," she replied carefully, trying not to get ahead of herself and miss something. "With robbery you just add force, basically."

Damon nodded his approval, tapping the flashcards on the table top before firing off another question without looking at them. "What about assault versus battery?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "If you're trying to fool me, you're not going to. That's the first distinction every 1L learns - in torts, _not_ criminal law, but I'll forgive your slip," she said, grinning as he glared at her. "Assault is just the _threat_ of violence, but no physical contact is needed. Battery requires the assailant to cause physical harm."

"Alright then, smartass," Damon smirked, planting his elbows on the table as he leaned forward in challenge. "What do all those things have in common?"

"Mens Rea," she smirked right back, using the proper terminology.

"Ok, good, so you know the fancy words." He cocked a brow. "Plain English here, Gilbert."

Elena sighed, but gave him the layman's term for Mens Rea. "Intent."

"And which criminal charge _doesn't _require intent?"

She hesitated for a split second before blurting out her answer just as Damon opened his mouth to repeat himself. "Involuntary Manslaughter and Negligent Homicide. Neither require the intent to kill."

"Nice," he nodded, looking impressed. "So tell me, what's different about the way New York classifies murder?"

"First Degree Murder in New York is referred to as 'capital murder.' It has to involve some kind of special circumstance - multiple victims, a cop killing, torture, killing a witness: mob-distinction, really," she explained, picturing the words from her textbooks in her head as she leaned back in her chair. "Second Degree Murder in New York is typical pre-meditated murder, whereas in most other states second degree means not pre-mediated."

"And how about felony murder?"

"If a death occurs during the commission of another violent felony, such as a robbery, then regardless of intent, it's first degree murder in most jurisdictions," she said, reciting the definition with near perfect precision.

They went on like that, shooting questions and answers back and forth all afternoon and into the early evening. As the sun began to sink toward the horizon, Elena had pulled out one of her practice exams, reading the questions aloud to Damon before answering. Everything was going well, and her confidence about the biggest exam of her career was at an all-time high, until she came across a single question she just couldn't answer.

Feeling Damon's impatient gaze as he stared at her and tapped the stack of flashcards on the table, Elena shook her head in frustration. "I don't know the answer to this one, Damon."

"Let me see it," he said, reaching for the test so that he could take a look. His eyes moved across the page before widening fractionally in disbelief. "_Seriously_?"

"I've gone through every scenario," she exclaimed. "Just give me the answer to this one. I've answered all the others correctly!"

Damon scoffed. "No one is going to be there to give you the answers during the actual exam, Elena." She glared at him, wanting to smack the smirk right off of his face as she frowned again at the unanswered question. "Oh, come on! You know this. We went over it already."

"No, because if we had I'd know it!" she snapped in frustration, raking her hands through her hair.

"Okay, you're too stressed out; your memory's starting to go," Damon said, standing up and joining her on the other side of the table. Leaning over her, he pointed to the question, resting his other hand on the table next to hers. "You do know it. You're just over thinking it. Breathe."

Elena exhaled sharply.

"Good. Now do it again, but this time how about we skip the snippiness, huh?"

Biting back a protest, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before releasing a long, shuddery breath. As she exhaled, she felt herself start to relax until Damon's chest suddenly pressed against her back. His weight caused her to buckle towards the table.

Elena gasped, whipping her head to look at him. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry," he muttered, quickly pulling away and retreating to his side of the table. Slumping into his seat, he waved off her look of concern. "Just relax and let it come to you."

Elena reluctantly nodded, frowning as she tried to clear her mind and wait patiently for the answer to come to her. After a few minutes, she sighed. "You have bags under your eyes."

"_What_?"

Peeking at him through her lashes, she repeated herself. "You have bags under your eyes."

"Maybe because I'm tired," he deadpanned. "Don't change the subject – focus."

"I can't," she said with a small, sad smile, frustration adding edginess to her tone. "I really can't remember."

"Alright," he decided with a sigh, checking his watch. "Break time."

"We can't afford to take a break, Damon!" Elena protested. "_I_ can't afford to take a break."

"Yes. You can," he insisted. "For five minutes, you can. Otherwise you're going to lose your mind." She rolled her eyes as he nudged her arm, but didn't argue. "Plus, I'm fucking starving. Let's get food or something."

Elena had been so focused on their study session that she hadn't realized how hungry she was until he mentioned it. Her stomach started growling. "Food does sound incredible."

"And it was a part of the deal."

"That's right," she nodded, warming to the idea of not staring at notecards or textbooks or anything that would send her brain into a discombobulated tizzy. "It _was_ a part of the deal. Okay. So, do we feel like Chinese or Thai?"

He stared at her.

"What?" she asked. "Do you want Chinese or Thai?"

"It's all Asian, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but there's a difference," she laughed, earning a sideways grin from Damon. "Thai is usually spicier."

"Well, I do like spicing things up," he quipped, waggling his brows at Elena until she smacked his arm. "Hey, you said it yourself. Thai's spicier; I was just letting you know my personal preference." She shook her head and held back a grin, as he gestured towards the door. "Let's go get some dinner."

"Dinner?" she scoffed, glancing at the clock as she grabbed her purse. "It's more like late-night binging, Damon. We skipped dinner three hours ago."

"Whatever," he retorted, his hand finding the small of her back as he ushered her out of the door. "Hunger is hunger. Come on."

_ January 1998_

_Ever since his mother had bought him a piano for Christmas, Damon had been practicing continuously, driving everyone in his family – minus Lydia – insane. Normally Elena didn't mind his playing, because he was actually quite good for being so new at the instrument, but today they were going to be late for school if he didn't get a move on._

"_Come on, Damon," Elena whined from the Salvatore's porch. "We're going to miss the bus because you won't stop playing that stupid piano! It's our first day back – I don't want to be late!" _

_Damon took his time, finally emerging from the study with his backpack slung over his shoulder and a bright smile on his face that she wanted to scrub away. "Don't be jealous, Elena."_

"_I am _not_ jealous," she huffed._

"_Keep telling yourself that, my friend."_

"_I'm your only friend," Elena retorted, giggling as she ran down the pathway to the curb as Damon chased after her. She ran faster when she saw the bus pulling away. "Damon, we're going to miss it!"_

"_Take it back, Elena!" he demanded, heedless of the bus. "Say you're not my only friend – because you're not!"_

"_No!" she shouted, as she waved frantically to get the bus to stop. Luckily, the driver had been eyeing the rearview mirror and slowed down for them. "Oh, fine," she panted, taking in Damon's stormy and genuinely hurt expression. "I may not be your only friend…but I _am_ your best friend."_

"_I'll give you that," he nodded, answering her breathlessly as the doors opened up and they climbed aboard. "You're definitely my best friend." Racing down the aisle, they claimed the back seat. "I could teach you to play, y'know," Damon offered once the bus had started moving again. _

"_You only just started," she said with a raised brow. She was surprised that he would offer so soon after learning to play, but she knew he would probably be a better teacher than a book. Yet she refused to give him that satisfaction. "I doubt it."_

"_So?" he looked offended. "I could at least teach you the one song I do know."_

"_Okay," Elena said, her lips curling into an amused smile. "I'd love to learn the one song you do know." She placed her book bag on her lap, digging into the first compartment and frowning when she realized she'd left her homework back at the house. "Awe, crap!"_

"_What's wrong?"_

_Rummaging through her pack, her motions growing more and more frantic, she finally groaned. "I left my English homework on my desk. Mrs. Murphy is going to kill me!" Elena panicked. "I can't get detention, Damon!"_

"_Relax, Elena, you're fine. You won't get detention for leaving your homework at home," he said with such confidence that she felt a surge of relief – until he opened his mouth again. "And if you do, I'll bail you out."_

* * *

Holding the door as they entered the small restaurant, Damon couldn't take his eyes off of Elena. She'd always been beautiful – he was sure that would _never _change –but the way she bit her lip and looked over every inch of her surroundings, as if she'd never been to a restaurant before, was so endearing he couldn't hold back a genuine smile. When her eyes landed on his, he looked away, pretending like he hadn't been staring at her as if she was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

"It's a study break, not an execution," he said a few moments later as the awkward silence and Elena's fidgeting got the better of him. "Relax, you're fine. It's no big deal."

"No big deal? Are you sure this is okay?" Elena asked as she slid into their booth.

He wasn't sure if she was asking whether her being with him was okay, or if being out instead of studying was okay. It wasn't because of the late hour though. They'd learned this joint stayed open when they'd read the Hours of Operation sign.

"I was totally fine with carry-out."

"Please," he snorted. He waved a hand as he picked up the menu, deciding to ignore his previous questions. She'd always managed to baffle him. It was just another thing about her that would never change. "We'd get home and you'd forget about the meal completely. At least here you'll be able to relax a little bit. And actually eat."

Eyeing her pointedly until she pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze to the menu, Damon perused the wide array of options. They studied their menus in silence until a tall, sandy-blonde man with a pen and pad of paper arrived at the table. "Have you come to a decision?"

"I'll have Gang Jued," Elena said, looking up at the waiter with a smile as he'd flipped open his notepad to record their orders. "Thank you."

"And for you, sir?"

An asterisk marked the meals labeled 'Spicy.' _Perfect_. "Som Tam."

"Mai phed?" the waiter asked without looking up from his notepad.

"Nah, I'm good," Damon grinned, turning in both his and Elena's menus. "The hotter, the better. Thanks."

Alone now, Elena propped her chin on her hand and asked. "Spicy food is better for the heart. Is that why you didn't skimp on it?"

"You don't miss a thing," he quipped, cringing internally at the prospect of delving into his health issues during their "five minute time-out."

"Okay," she nodded after a few moments, but added a warning. "Som Tam is one of _the _hottest dishes out there, Damon. You might want to order a glass of milk or something."

He groaned. For as long as he'd known her, Elena had insisted on pestering him about his damn heart condition. It was one thing for her to care, another thing for her to act like his doctor.

"I'll be fine," he said gruffly, seizing upon a new topic of conversation to distract her. "How are things with the BF?"

She blinked a couple of times at the sudden change of subject before shrugging evasively. "Um, we're on a bit of a…break…right now."

"Oh." His brows shot up at the new development, but he kept his response light. "Eh, well, it's probably for the best anyway."

As the revelation of Elena's somewhat single status settled in, he realized a ton of new doors had just opened up to him. Seduce & Destroy would be a lot easier to go through with now that she wasn't spending time with Prince Perfect any longer. Though another thought made itself known. He knew his mother would have been ecstatic, would have insisted he act on the opportunity. Besides, what if he wanted to pursue something else, something more, where Elena was concerned? What if it wasn't a matter of breaking her heart as he'd originally planned…but stealing it instead?

"I miss him though, you know?" she said suddenly, her gaze taking on a wistful, faraway look that sent a sharp stab of unexpected displeasure coursing through him. "A lot of the stress has been taken off, but it's still there. I don't know. Elijah is so sweet; it wasn't fair to either of us that I couldn't give him the attention he deserves."

How he kept from making a snide comment about Prince Charming, he didn't know. He was grateful the waiter had appeared with their food to help him bite his tongue. Shoving aside the green-eyed monster threatening to make an appearance, Damon thanked the man, and then shrugged at Elena's rambling and maintained his cool demeanor.

"You've been focusing on studying, Elena. That's not a crime."

"No, I know that," she said softly, looking down at her hands. "He understood. Besides, we'll pick up again after I take the test. Pass or fail."

"Speaking of," he said, taking a sip of his water and clearing his throat to change the subject yet again. "Your mom, dad, and Little Gilbert are going to be ridiculously proud of you. Miranda will probably burst into tears while Grayson tries to stay all cool and macho as he chokes up." Elena didn't answer, keeping her head stubbornly bent while taking a bite of her meal. It left Damon wondering if he'd said something wrong. "Elena?"

Squeezing her stinging eyes shut to stem the flow of tears, Elena drew a shaky breath as a couple of drops slipped through her lashes in spite of her efforts. Damon had always been as much a part of her family as she'd been of his. She feared Damon's reaction. She'd stood by his side while he grieved for Lydia, but she'd never bothered to mention that he'd already lost two other parental figures who'd mattered to him months before. And then there was the matter of how he'd feel when he realized she hadn't given him the opportunity to help _her_ deal with her grief.

He deserved to know and she'd always meant to tell him, but…not now. Not in a public place.

"Hellooo?" Damon prompted teasingly, waving his hand in front of her with a nervous chuckle. "You totally zoned out on me. Rude."

She waved him off. "I'm okay." She gestured to her food as she offered him a watery smile. "I think some of the spices from your dish got mixed with mine, that's all."

He eyed her for a minute before scoffing. "You know I don't buy that for a second, right? Tell me what's going on."

"Nothing's going on," she said, blinking rapidly as the tears built faster than she could control.

"Lie."

She sighed shakily when he played the trump card, the familiar phrase that they'd always used to cut to the heart of things. "You're right, Damon," she whispered softly, knowing her voice would break if she spoke any louder. "I think they would be proud of me."

"They definitely will," he clarified, tilting his head in confusion as her word choice registered with him. "Wait…What do you mean _'would'_?" Unable to hold back anymore, she let the tears stream down her face as she lifted her head. Damon's eyes went wide. "Elena –"

"They're dead," she choked out, her voice a strangled half-sob. "My parents were killed in a car accident."

His stomach plummeted to the floor as his mind processed her words. They were dead? Miranda and…and Grayson? They'd died too? This wasn't right. He wasn't hearing her correctly.

"What did you just say?"

He waited for some sign that she was joking, but her shoulders simply shook harder as she tried to keep her emotions in check. "When did this happen? …Oh, god, Elena… I'm so… wait a second, what about Jeremy? Elena, tell me Jeremy's not –"

"No," she cried hoarsely, shaking her head fervently. "He survived, thank God. It…it happened nearly a year ago."

Damon collapsed back into his chair, as though the wind had been knocked out of him and his stomach rolled. "Holy shit," he murmured numbly.

"I'm sorry," she cried, wiping at her wet cheeks before reaching for her napkin to dab at her eyes. "I didn't know how to tell you, but you brought them up and….god, Damon, I know how close you were to Grayson. I'm so sorry."

_July 2004_

_Celebrating Independence Day, the Salvatore and Gilbert families had gathered for a weekend picnic in the center of Mystic Falls. The beautiful park spread out for nearly an acre, accommodating many more families spending the day outside and enjoying the fabulous weather. Elena, Damon, Stefan, and Jeremy were all flying kites, trying to see who could fly their kite the longest. Damon insisted that his dragon would win while the others said _their_ butterfly, racecar, and shark would come out on top._

"_Damon!" Grayson shouted, as the elder Salvatore brother's kite fell first. "Come over here and give me a hand, would you?"_

"_What?" he yelled back, preparing to set up his kite for take-off again. "Can't Dad help you?"_

"_Your dad can't grill for shit. Old man will ruin the meat," Grayson said, laughing at his best friend's subsequent outburst._

"_I heard that, Gilbert!" Giuseppe hollered from the picnic table where he was helping his wife unload the baskets of food. "You're lucky our wives are friends or I'd kick your ass!"_

"_No hard feelings, 'Sep!" Grayson flashed him a wide smile, catching Damon's eye as he added. "Would you get your ass over here already?"_

"_Yes, sir," Damon grinned, running over to help him out. _

"_Don't 'sir' me, boy. You know me better than that."_

_He stilled when Grayson handed him the steel spatula and pointed to the grill. "Uh…are you sure?"_

"_It'll be fine. I trust you with my daughter. I think I can trust you not to burn this park down." _

"_That's reassuring," he grumbled, rolling his eyes until Grayson placed a firm hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze._

"_You'll take care of her, Damon. Won't you?"_

"_Yeah, Gray," he said seriously. "Of course I'll take care of her."_

Somehow finding the courage to look up at him again, Elena noted the faraway look in Damon's eyes as another tear slipped down her cheek. "He was supposed to be there when I made it, Damon," she said quietly. "They were both supposed to be here and now they're gone."

He swallowed convulsively, silent for several minutes before he spoke. "What happened?"

She closed her eyes, reciting the details she'd rehashed over and over again since that horrible night. "It was raining. They were on their way home from picking Mom up from the airport and they lost control of the car and," she sucked in a sharp breath, unable to finish her statement. She tried to force her tears back but failed again.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked, his voice strained.

"I didn't know how," she shook her head and covered her face with her hands. "But I know that I should have. I'm so sorry, Damon."

"And after all the crap I gave you that night at the bar…Elena, I'm…" Damon grimaced, rubbing a hand over his face as he closed his eyes and bent his head. "Shit."

Hearing his ragged breaths, she lifted her head in alarm, some of her grief dissipating as she saw the pain etched clearly in her friend's features. Elena frowned and leaned forward. "Hey," she placed her hand on his as his jaw clenched. "Are you okay?"

Damon shook his head. "I think I'm gonna be sick," he croaked before lurching forward and bolting from his chair in a dead sprint for the restrooms.

Unsure of whether or not to follow him, Elena reluctantly decided that it would probably be best to stay where she was. _I've already done enough damage and he'd just yell at me to leave him alone anyway_, she rationalized.

After ten minutes of waiting, however, her concern won out. Sliding out of the booth, Elena made her way to the Men's restroom, not caring if anyone was watching as she pushed open the door.

"Damon?" she called tentatively.

"Elena, go finish your meal," he answered scratchily as she noticed his knees on the white tiles of one of the stalls. "I'll…I'll be out in a minute."

"Are you okay?" she asked, wincing at the stupidity of the question. _Obviously not, _she thought as she heard him retch into the toilet. "Can I-can I get you anything?"

Damon groaned silently, resting his forehead on his arm when he finished for the time-being. _I need you to leave me the hell alone. _Surprisingly, he wasn't as annoyed by her checking up on him this time around as he had been previously, but even so, Damon Salvatore did not do vulnerable and he didn't want her pity. He hated coming off as weak, hated when people wanted to take care of him. _I'm fine_, he told himself, simply taken off guard by Elena's news and the spicy dish had apparently not mixed well with his heart medication. _That's all this is, _he thought, brushing aside the fact that it had been _years_ since he last lost the contents of his stomach due to the meds.

Flushing the toilet, he pushed himself to his feet and stepped out of the stall, leaning heavily against it. "Nope," he said, finally answering her question after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Just gonna rinse my mouth out. I'll meet you out there."

Elena hesitated, debating whether to leave before giving him a slow nod and doing as he asked. The instant she left, Damon's shoulders sagged with relief. Plodding over to the sink and taking a look at his reflection in the mirror, he grimaced at the pallor of his skin and the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes.

He looked like shit.

Turning on the faucet, he stuck his hand under the flow of water, and brought it to his lips, rinsing his mouth out half a dozen times until he felt semi-refreshed. He'd make sure to keep his distance from Elena and everyone else until he could get home to brush his teeth. Leaving the restroom, he returned to their table, giving Elena a reassuring nod when she immediately asked if he was feeling any better.

"Had to have been the food," he lied before carefully glancing at her to see if she believed him or not. Thankfully, she seemed to. "That's what I get for trying something new," he joked, though it fell flat, doing nothing to ease the worry in her eyes. "We should probably call it a night."

"Yeah. Yeah, let's get out of here and get you home," Elena agreed immediately.

Damon wanted to argue, to insist that he wasn't some sick little child that needed to be coddled, but she'd always been the Mother Hen type and when she was in Help Mode, there was zero chance of changing her mind or approach. The server returned with their bill and Damon snatched it before she could even make a grab for it.

"Nice try, Elena," he tsked, waving the tab back and forth teasingly as he offered her a tight-lipped smile. "For a job well done today, this one is on me."

"You don't have to pay for me," she protested as he ignored her and handed his credit card over to their waiter. "Alright, fine. Thank you, Damon."

Refusing to let Damon take his own cab, Elena climbed into the backseat next to him and they rode together. Damon leaned back against the head rest, closing his eyes against the feeling of his stomach tumbling over on itself like a load of laundry in the washer. In an attempt to distract himself, he focused in on the memory of one of the last times he and Elena had been in the car together before she'd left for Duke.

_June 2005_

"_Damon, are you crazy?!" _

_He laughed at the way she gawked at him as he backed out of the driveway in Giuseppe's 1963 cherry red, Porsche 356B Karmann Coupe. The normally uninteresting car had recently been dubbed off-limits – earmarked as a birthday present for Stefan – and so it suddenly oozed with forbidden appeal._

_Damon hadn't been able to resist. _

"_Your dad is going to kill you!" Elena declared, crossing her arms stubbornly._

"_If there is _one_ thing that me and my old man share, it's our love of classic cars," he beamed as he slid his fingertips over the steering wheel. "This one is a little too pretty, but whatever. Hop in, little lady, we're going for a spin."_

"_Damon, come on," she warned, glancing back toward the house as if she expected Giuseppe to come storming out at any second. "Seriously, get out."_

"_Nope," Damon said with a bright gleam in his eyes. "I'm leaving in five seconds. Feel free to stay here if you want." He started counting backwards, smirking as Elena huffed and pulled open the passenger door. "That's what I thought."_

"_Where are we going, anyway?" she grumbled as she clicked her seat belt into place. _

"_I dunno," he shrugged, turning the wheel smoothly to take the corner at the end of his street._

"_You don't – what the hell? What, you mean this –"_

" – _is what going for a spin means," he chuckled, finishing Elena's statement as he handed her his iPod. "Now relax and pick a song."_

_They cruised along, turning down a back road as she browsed through his music list. "Nice choice," he nodded with a grin as she pressed 'play' and The Killer's "All These Things That I've Done" poured from the speakers. Hearing his stamp of approval, she turned up the volume. Damon whistled along with the beat. "Damn, I wish I could play guitar."_

"_And have yet another thing to make the ladies swoon over?" she giggled, rolling her eyes as Damon merely waggled his eyebrows and shrugged._

"_Maybe."_

"_You're a pig," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder and pretending to look disgusted. "Why are we friends?"_

"_You love me and you know it."_

_Elena's gaze faltered, focusing on the trees flashing past as she looked out the window. She rolled it down quickly and sucked in a gulp of fresh air._

"_You alright?" he asked, turning down the music. "You're not getting carsick, are you?"_

_She looked over as Damon eyed her worriedly. "Yeah," she nodded with a tight smile. "All good."_

"_You better be," he said. "I don't want you puking in this car." He turned on his left-turn signal and headed back home._

"_What are you doing?"_

"_Not taking any chances," he snorted, taking his eyes off of the road to give her a pointed look._

"_Damon, look out!"_

_Snapping his attention back to the dirt road, his eyes widened at the deer standing directly in front of them. He yanked the wheel in an effort to avoid it, but the ground was mostly made up of loose gravel and the wheels couldn't catch. Fishtailing wildly, the Porsche Coupe crashed into a tree before Damon or Elena could register what had taken place. Damon's head smacked against the wheel upon impact, leaving him dizzy and in a hell of a lot of pain._

"_Ouch," Elena said with a frown as Damon leaned back against the headrest. "Are you okay?" He turned to look at her, about to assure her that he was fine when she shrieked, "Damon, you're bleeding!"_

_Looking in the rearview mirror, he blanched at the stream of dark red blood running down his face. Bringing his fingers to his forehead, he winced as he made contact with the open wound directly above his right eyebrow. _

"_Think it needs stitches?" he asked, studying his reflection in the rearview mirror. "Eh, it's not as bad as it looks."_

"_We shouldn't take any chances," she said, grabbing his chin with her fingers and making him look at her. "You could have a concussion. We need to go to the hospital."_

"_You don't look hurt," he smiled, giving her an once-over as she cradled his face with gentle hands. "You're not hurt, are you?"_

_She shook her head. "No, I'm not hurt."_

"_I'm glad."'_

"_I got lucky." She turned his chin so that his wound was in the light. "It looks deep."_

"_I'm shocked you're not passing out on me," Damon teased. "I thought blood meant an automatic TKO for Elena."_

_She blinked in surprise, her fingers still gripping his jaw. "So did I, but I guess I'm too busy being glad that we're alive to pass out right now."_

_Leaving the damaged vehicle where it was, they headed back to the Gilbert house on foot and eventually into the living room where their parents were playing Gin Rummy. One look at Damon's bloodied face and both sets of parents went into a frenzy of pissed, horrified, and worried outbursts. _

"_We're okay," Elena said quickly._

"_The car…not so much," Damon added in a matter-of-fact tone._

_Miranda rushed to Elena and took her by the shoulders, examining every inch of her. "Are you hurt?"_

"_No," she sighed. "I'm okay."_

"_You wrecked my car?" Giuseppe roared, jumping up from his seat as Damon's mother placed a calming hand on her husband's arm to keep him by her side. _

"_Stefan's car, honey," Lydia corrected, trying to diffuse some of Giuseppe's anger. _

"_You wrecked _Stefan's _car?" he repeated, refusing to be mollified. _

"_Are you both okay?" Grayson demanded, joining Miranda. _

"_I am," Elena said again, but pointed to Damon's injury. "I think he needs stitches though."_

"_I don't need stitches," Damon scoffed, waving away his mother's worried look. "One of those weird-looking winged Band-Aid things will fix me right up."_

_Ignoring their children, Miranda and Lydia marched the two car thieves out to the Gilbert SUV and made a beeline for the town's Advanced Urgent Care, while Grayson and Giuseppe set out in the Salvatore's town car to find the ruined remains of the Porsche. _

_Elena had had to bite her tongue to keep from sounding like a broken record while the doctor looked her over. She couldn't help the told-you-so look she shot her mother, however, when she was given a completely clean bill of health. Rolling her eyes at her daughter, Miranda thanked the doctor and headed for the waiting room, knowing that Elena wouldn't hear of leaving until she knew that her best friend was okay. _

_Forty-five minutes later, Elena breathed a sigh of relief as Damon and Lydia finally emerged from the ER. Biting her lip to stifle the giggles at his Frankenstein-like stitches, she scooted over and let her best friend collapse onto the uncomfortable couch beside her. _

"_Not a word." _

"_What's that for?" Elena asked, pointing at the small orange bottle Damon was holding._

"_Pain. Gotta be careful with these guys," Damon said, reading the label. "Have to time it right. Can't let 'em mix with my heart meds."_

"_Speaking of your heart," she began, "how are you not having a heart attack right now?"_

"_What are you talking about?"_

_She cupped her hand and leaned in to whisper in his ears. "Our parents are probably trying to figure out the quickest and quietest way to kill us."_

"_You worry too damn much," he laughed as he smacked her hand away. "Has anybody ever told you that?"_

"_Damon, this is serious."_

"_You're damn right it is." Lydia's solemn voice broke in on their conversation as she and Miranda came closer. The teens gulped under the women's heavy scrutiny. "What the hell were you two thinking?"_

_Damon's mouth twisted in contemplation before shrugging and saying, "I was thinking Elena and I needed to have some fun."_

"_You two always have fun," Miranda said. "The only difference is that this time what you did was reckless. Don't start with me, young lady," she added, swiftly cutting her daughter off when she'd opened her mouth to speak. "You are so grounded."_

"_Needless to say, so are you, Damon."_

_He nodded, the punishment more of an inconvenience because he wouldn't be able to see Elena. "Fair enough."_

"_Wait," Elena frowned, ignoring Damon's groan. He rested his arms on his thighs and got comfortable, ready for the drama he knew she was about to bring by objecting. "_I'm_ grounded? Why? What did I do? I wasn't the one who crashed the car!"_

"_You participated," Miranda scolded as Elena bowed her head in shame. "That's just as bad, sweetheart. What if Jeremy had come with you guys? He's getting older, but he's still impressionable, Elena! You're lucky you weren't hurt, or killed!" _

"_I know," she mumbled, glancing at Damon and unable to stifle her smile when he winked at her with his good eye._

"_Your father's outside," Lydia said, speaking directly to her son. She didn't have to say anything more; Damon was on his feet and by her side almost instantly. When she spoke, her word was law and he wasn't about to sass back like he might have done had it been Giuseppe. Placing a hand on Miranda's arm, Lydia added. "I'm so sorry about this, Mandy."_

"_They're alive," Elena's mother sighed, lowering her voice to whisper, "I'm more relieved than I am angry."_

"_Giuseppe has always been hot-headed, but he really is just as thankful as we are," Lydia said before slipping her arm through Damon's and guiding him toward the exit. "Time to go, honey – you won't be driving for a long while."_

"_I'll see you later, Damon," Elena grumbled, rising slowly to her feet._

"_Bye, Elena." He waved halfheartedly to Miranda before dutifully following his mother out to their car._

Damon opened his eyes as the cab slowed to a stop in front of his penthouse.

"You're sure you don't want me to come with you?" Elena asked. "I can stay for a little bit, if you want."

Damon shook his head.

"I can make you something to settle your stomach," she offered.

"Still the worrywart, aren't we," he teased before shaking his head. "Quit it." Paying for his half of the ride, he climbed out of the taxi and leaned in to say goodbye. "I'll see you Wednesday. Bye, Elena."

Treading slowly, he made his way to the front door where he punched in the security code and walked inside. As he waited for the elevator doors to open, he thought about that memory with…not quite _malice,_ but irritation. It seemed like every single moment from his past that he'd successfully kept buried for a decade was suddenly flying to the surface, and he had no hope in hell at shoving them back down.

_Some things never change, _he thought as the elevator dinged and let him out at his floor. Elena Gilbert was still cute as hell and a gigantic pain in the ass – a fact that brought a smile to his lips until he froze at the sight of a pair of long legs and a flash of blonde hair. _Fuck._

"Bex, I'm not in the mood," he growled.

"I saw a brunette in your taxi, Damon." Rebekah sauntered over to him, trailing a hand down his chest that he was too tired to remove himself. He sighed heavily at her next words. "A brunette that looked an awful lot like Elena."

"Nicely deduced. Are you done?" he replied shortly as his pocket buzzed. Retrieving his phone he saw a new text message.

_From: The Pain in My Ass_

_Message: Thank you for today, Damon. Pass or fail, I would have given up without your help. I hope you feel better._

He nearly smiled until he remembered who else was in the hallway with him, watching his every move.

_To: The Pain in My Ass_

_Message: No problem. After today, you shouldn't fail too badly. ;) Already feeling better. Thanks._

Masking his expression effortlessly, he shoved the device back into his pocket without waiting for a response.

"You know," the blonde said with a pout, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the girl almost prefers spending her free time with you over her boyfriend."

Damon scowled, choosing not to tell her that Elijah had recently become an _ex-_boyfriend. "I wouldn't necessarily call it free time," he argued. "We spent the majority of the day with our heads in books."

"'Majority?'" she repeated, seizing on the technicality as he smirked at the way her blue eyes flashed green with jealousy. "What, you mean you did more than just study? Did –"

"Bekah–"

"Well?" she pressed, biting her lip and practically bouncing with the need to know what exactly he had in store for the brown-haired woman of his past. "Did you two do more?"

"Yes," he nodded, quickly amending his answer when he saw her eyes widen and she nearly squealed. "I mean, _no,_ god, no. Not like that. I got her food."

"Like…a date?"

"Yes – no," he quickly answered, annoyed by all of her questions. "Jesus. Why are you here again?"

"I came to check up on you," Rebekah replied with a smile, stepping even closer to him. "I wanted to remind you about your little scheme to ruin Elena." If it was possible, her smile nearly tore her face in half, her eyes lighting up with malevolence.

He didn't answer, turning to unlock his door.

"What do you have up next for the 'Seducing' part of your plan, Damon?" she asked eagerly while he fished for his keys, grazing her fingernails lightly down his back. "You've already taken her out…is the next step bedding her?" She clasped her hands and pushed her lips together when he kept silent. "The next step _is_ bedding her, isn't it?" Her voice was gleeful and her smile huge as her eyes gleamed wickedly. "That will absolutely level her!"

With a start, Damon realized that Rebekah was more into the Seduce and Destroy plan at this point than he was, and he chose to ignore her. He was exhausted, still felt nauseous and when he opened the door, she started to follow him into his foyer. Unable to deal with her pestering questions a moment longer, he shook his head, firmly placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back out into the hall.

_Clingy little twit,_ he thought as he leaned weakly against the door and winced when his chest tightened painfully with his next breath. Kicking off his shoes, he trudged into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, and then the bathroom where he flicked on the light. Swallowing his pills, he took a few swigs from his glass and looked at his face reflecting back in the mirror. He looked a little better; his skin was regaining some if its color, but he still felt sick. Damon brushed his teeth, but skipped the shower. He was so damn tired; he didn't doubt he'd fall asleep under the spray. He'd just get up and take one in the morning.

Heading for his bedroom and seeing it was nearing 1 o'clock in the morning, he flopped into bed. His eyes were already starting to slide shut before he could think any more about what Rebekah had said in the hall before he'd all but slammed the door in her face. Sleep quickly pulled him under, the last image in Damon's conscious mind being that of a caring and annoyingly attentive brunette.

* * *

Damon spent most of his Sunday wondering whether or not Elena was relaxing or studying herself into the ground the day before her bar exam. Before he got ready for bed later that night, after he set his alarm for 4 a.m, he decided to send her a text.

_To: The Pain in My Ass_

_Message: Go to sleep at a decent hour. You want that stuff to stick._

Her response came almost instantly.

_From: The Pain in My Ass_

_Message: Yes, Dad…are you feeling any better?_

If he were being honest, his chest was bugging him, he was more tired than he should have been for doing absolutely nothing all day, and it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet. He messaged her back that he was indeed feeling better and that he'd see her at work on Wednesday. He knew she'd be missing work for two days in order to take her test. He showered, brushed his teeth, and got into bed. He was asleep in minutes.

When he woke up the following day, Damon groggily looked over at his alarm clock, wondering why it hadn't gone off. He knew he'd set the time at the appropriate hour but he couldn't remember if he'd shut it off in his sleep. Seeing the time, he immediately jumped out of bed, throwing on a suit, and as soon as he looked like he didn't belong in a zombie movie, he was out the door and on the way to S&S in less than five minutes.

Moving through the halls of the firm as quickly as his condition would allow without sending him into cardiac arrest, Damon ran smack into Katherine who was wearing a typical skirt that ran a little too high on her thighs and a black blouse that dove just a little too far down her chest.

"Excuse you," she said with an amused expression. "Where's the fire?"

He glared at her. "He's gonna kill me," he panted, clearing his throat. Katherine had a habit of intercepting him before work to mindlessly chat his ear off with useless crap he didn't care about. He didn't have the time for her nonsense today. "Giuseppe's going to kill me, so if you don't mind –"

"Oh, _I_ don't," she admitted with a concerned smile, "but your brother does. He's a nervous wreck."

"What?" he asked, his attention caught. "Why?"

"Because you haven't answered any of his calls and he thinks you're lying in a ditch somewhere."

Rolling his eyes, he tried to move past her, "Well, I'm not."

"Clearly."

"Kat, move."

There were two reasons Damon didn't physically move her out of his way. One, she might have had the talent to annoy the hell out of him, but Katherine was engaged to his brother. Two, he might not have been the woman's biggest fan, but he did have a little respect for her.

"Okay, okay," she grinned, holding her hands in the air but refusing to get out of his way. "So…where's the newbie?"

"Elena's been here for a while now, she's hardly a newbie. And she's taking her bar exam so she won't be here today or tomorrow. Why?"

"Damon!" Stefan shouted, appearing behind his fiancée who turned to face him as he moved down the hall. "Where the hell have you been? Dad's flipping out!"

"Let him flip," Damon shrugged. "If he can land on his feet, I'll give him an award."

His little brother was – and had always been – observant. Especially when it came to Damon and their father's Cardiomyopathy. Stefan always knew when something was wrong and the fact that Damon's breathing hadn't evened out much in the twenty seconds he'd been standing there didn't help. His ashen face and weary eyes were also telltale signs that something wasn't right.

"Give us a second, Kat," Stefan told his fiancée.

Katherine protested, saying she wanted stay, to see what he obviously did, but he gave her a stern look. Knowing she wouldn't get her way, she rolled her eyes and pulled away from him, leaving the two brothers to go at it.

Glaring at his older brother, he commanded. "Break room. Now."

"Stef–"

"Just do it, okay?"

Damon rolled his eyes, already knowing what would be in store for him when he walked into the coffee room. Baby bro couldn't turn off the worry switch – just like someone _else_ who had monopolized his thoughts for the better part of the weekend.

"Damon." Stefan poked his head outside of the break room, demanding. "Now."

Grudgingly, he joined his brother, the door closing behind him with a snick as Damon grumbled. "Here we go."

"Are you okay?"

"I really wish everybody would stop asking me that."

"Well, are you?"

"No," he snapped. "I'm not okay. I slept half the day away and you are royally pissing me off."

"You look like you're about to pass out."

"Yeah, well, I got over twelve hours of sleep and I'm still tired as hell."

"You look like shit too."

Turning around, Damon began to make coffee. He wasn't stupid enough to drink it after how shitty he'd been feeling over the last three days, but he needed to keep his hands busy so that he wouldn't smack his brother upside the head for being Captain Obvious. Pouring a cup, he handed it to Stefan and admitted. "I feel worse."

He gawked at him before replying in a harsh whisper, "What the hell is the matter with you? Go to the goddamn doctor, Damon!"

"Mom would be horrified to hear you speak that way," he said in condescendingly sweet manner, "Drink up."

"You're being ridiculous," Stefan muttered, clearly upset by the harsh way their mother had come into the conversation and knowing it was Damon's intention to hurt him. "Dad told me he saw you in pain last week."

Damon tilted his head in acknowledgement. "He would be telling you the truth."

"You're clearly still in pain," Stefan deduced with narrowed eyes as he examined him up and down. "Are you waiting for the Reaper to knock at your door, or what? Are the meds even still working?"

"Yes," Damon sighed. "They're still working, Stefan."

"Great. Then go to the doctor and get some antibiotics," he said, relief now evident in his demeanor. "Maybe you're coming down with the flu or something."

"And maybe you're getting on my last nerve, little brother."

"Well fuck, Damon," Stefan laughed humorlessly, throwing his hands up in the air. "I actually give a shit about my big brother. Sue me!"

Damon smirked. "You made a lawyer joke, baby brother." Stefan immediately scowled and Damon rolled his eyes, leaning against the counter, crossing his arms and shaking his head. He had always been a bit of a Drama Queen, but this truly took the cake. "Don't get your panties in a twist."

"Have you told Elena?"

Damon's jovial behavior vanished. "There's nothing to tell Elena."

"She should know!"

"There's nothing for her _to_ know, Stefan!" Damon finally exploded. "Butt out! Christ, you're like a mosquito buzzing in my ear every goddamn hour of the day. Enough!"

Stefan scoffed, heading for the door before looking over his shoulder. His voice dropped as he twisted the handle. "Just get checked out, will you? I might not be able to have our mom there, but I'd like for my brother to be alive and by my side on my wedding day."

With that, Stefan walked out of the coffee room. Damon let out a heavy breath, rubbing his hands over his face. He eyed the coffee mug that his brother hadn't touched. He knew he shouldn't drink it, but he was still so fucking tired and he had a long ass day ahead of him. Consequences be damned, he took a sip of the still-warm drink as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

_From: The Pain in My Ass _

_Message: Guess what? I survived the first half._

Damon's raised a brow in surprise to see that she'd texted him; not over the text itself, because they'd already been sending them back and forth, but that Elena had chosen to contact him to express her glee over something that clearly meant a lot to her. He thought over his response before pressing send.

_To: The Pain in My ass_

_Message: Congrats. Now once you survive the second half, we can celebrate._

Elena responded immediately and Damon didn't bother to hide the smile. He replied as he took another swig of coffee. God, did he miss caffeine. Maybe another cup wouldn't hurt. He started the coffee maker up again as he thought about where to take her.

_From: The Pain in My Ass_

_Message: Last time you said that to me, you hated me._

_To: The Pain in My Ass:_

_Message: Nah. Was annoyed and caught off guard. We both deserve a break and I know the perfect place._

Damon intended to bring Elena to the best place he knew to unwind and relax after weeks of nearly going batshit crazy. Pass or fail, she had – as she'd said – survived the first part of the exam. He was sure she'd get through the second half without having a total nervous breakdown and she deserved a night of...well…_fun_. Preferably with loud music, a good bartender and people who didn't give a fuck about their day jobs. It was decided.

As soon as they finished their shifts five days from now, on Friday evening, Damon was going to Billy's.

And he was going to bring Elena with him.

* * *

_**AN:** Thank you so much for reading & please review! ~Kate  
_


	8. To love is to give in

_AN: I love you guys. A lot. Your reviews seriously keep me writing. Also, thank you to Mariah and Layla Reyne for their crazy beta'ing and pre-reading skills. Love you all. Enjoy! ~Kate_

* * *

Climbing out of Damon's car after it had pulled as close to the entrance as possible, Elena groaned at the clouded night sky. It had started drizzling on their drive over and now it was raining cats and dogs. Approaching the doors, Elena eyed the flashing neon lights that warped and looped into the word, _Billy's. _

"Billy's," Elena said as they ducked under the awning and out of the rain.

Damon nodded with an over-exaggerated, impressed expression. He ushered her forward as his brows jumped. "So good to know you can read."

"Smartass," she scowled.

"Just now realizing that, huh?" he smirked, opening the door and letting her enter first.

Taking in the scene of the drunken patrons stumbling outside and listening to the loud music blasting from the inside, Elena narrowed her eyes. The place was crowded, people were dancing and guzzling their booze-filled glasses. The building itself was actually quite nice, she noticed. It was clean and well-kept, aside from the random cobwebs up in the rafters. It looked like a place she could grow to like. "So," she began, "you brought me to a bar?"

"Not just any bar, Gilbert."

"A strip bar?"

"Look at you, Miss Hilarity," he deadpanned as Elena caught the disgruntled shake of his head. "No."

"A gay bar?" she pushed, an amused twinkle in her eye. "Do you have something to tell me?"

In the back of her mind, Elena wondered when they'd fallen back into the swing of things – back to this place of comfort that she hadn't felt with him since they were kids – but it was nice and she really didn't feel like questioning it. "Elena." She looked at him. "You know what's funny?"

"Hmm?"

"Not you, so shut up," Damon said, flashing his eyes at her as he gestured over toward the bar. "I'm gonna hit the john, so just go sit down and order something – a _light_ something."

Elena gasped. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." He snickered when her jaw dropped before adding, "No, Elena, Jesus. I was joking. You really need to lighten up."

Responding to her lazy shove, Damon took a step backwards, humoring her. Grumbling something unintelligible, she walked towards the bar, as he headed to the restroom located by the exit. He really did have to take a piss, but he also wanted to take his heart medicine without her hounding him and changing her mind and demanding that they go home because she didn't think that he could handle it. He'd had a hell of a day at the office, and Elena deserved to enjoy her first study-free night.

_Billy's_ was one of Damon's favorite places in the City. He couldn't enjoy it as much as he once had, but he still made the trip every now and then and risked the possible frown lines that would encroach on his doctor's forehead. He didn't care. It was the perfect place to unwind or to forget, and tonight he and Elena were going to enjoy themselves. Turning on the faucet, he held his hand under the stream of water, brought it to his lips and tipped his hand before popping the pills into his mouth.

Making his way back to her, Damon found Elena sitting on a bar stool, scanning her surroundings as she took great gulps of whatever frou-frou drink he was sure she'd ordered. The place wasn't exactly a five-star establishment – what with the cobwebs in the corners where the ceiling met the walls – but the bartender was skilled and the atmosphere was both relaxed and filled with a lively energy; perfect for making both the wild children and conservatives feel at home. Tonight was busier than most, a Friday night where half of the drunken patrons were out on the dance floor making total fools of themselves.

"Another Mai Tai?" the bartender asked, catching Elena's attention.

Shaking her head at first, she glanced down at her drink, reconsidering. "Why not? I'm taking five minutes out of my drama-filled life to celebrate. So…sure. Hit me."

The bartender grinned. "Coming right up, sweetheart."

"Easy, Billy. This one's taken," Damon's voice – as well as his words – startled her, prompting her to look over her shoulder as he approached and claimed the stool next to hers. "What will Prince Perfect say when he finds out you took those five minutes to come to a bar with me?"

"Prince who?" Elena nearly choked on her drink, coughing to clear her throat. She hadn't told Damon about her rough patch with her boyfriend (that came from her lingering feelings for her ex-best friend), and she didn't plan on doing so. "_Elijah _isn't going to know, Damon."

Damon looked at her with an amused expression. "Funny."

"What?"

"That you knew I was talking about him."

Elena scowled, taking another – bigger – sip from her glass, feeling way too sober for a conversation about significant others.

So she opted to change the subject entirely.

"You were in the bathroom for a while," she said, clearing her throat before turning her eyes on him. "Everything okay?"

"Elena, I swear to God," Damon growled, his mood souring. "Ask me one more fucking time."

"Then stop bringing up Elijah."

"I can bring Elijah up if I want."

"Well, then, I can bring up your health if I want."

Damon glared at her as he flagged down Billy and ordered a bourbon. Knowing by his radio silence that she'd pissed him off, Elena figured that now was as good a time as any to appropriately thank him for all of his help where her bar exam was concerned.

"Thank you again," she said, as another Mai Tai appeared before her along with a tumbler of bourbon. When he didn't respond, she dared to squeeze his arm. "Damon, seriously."

"Okay," Damon said, his gaze flicking toward her hand on his arm. She immediately pulled it into her lap. "So one, I know what you're doing. You're welcome. And two," he swiveled in his seat to look at the bartender. "Billy, you need to keep an eye out for this one. She's a lightweight." Elena shot him a halfhearted glare, shrugging when he looked at her challengingly. "Am I wrong?"

"Whatever," she waved him off.

"I don't hear you denying it."

"I'm ignoring you."

"Oh, okay," he scoffed with the corner of his mouth hitching upwards. They drank in silence for a while as Elena grew increasingly aware of their proximity, of the comfort in it. As she finished her second Mai Tai, she felt the weight of Damon's appraising gaze. "So…you did it."

"I know." Elena lifted the glass to her lips and sipped, smiling into it. "I did it."

"And how do you feel about that?" he asked with a grin.

He knew damn well what it felt like to finish the bar exam. The weight of the world on your shoulders dissipating into nothing. It was like taking your first breath after being kept underwater, just as your lungs were beginning to burn. It was one of the best feelings he'd ever felt – easily in his Top 5. Luckily, he'd passed it on the first try, but he knew a few people who'd taken it, and retaken it, and retaken it. Stubborn, stupid fucks if you asked him, but he didn't give two-shits about them. Now, whether or not Elena had pulled a "him" and passed the first go-round, he wasn't going to take anything away from her tonight.

Except maybe the drink that'd earn her a killer hangover if he didn't.

Elena set her cup on the surface before turning to face him. "I feel like I shouldn't be here, like I should be at home studying or something, but then I remember…I don't have anything to study for. I am _done_." The smile of relief that spread over her lips was enough to coax one from Damon.

"You're done," he repeated with a tilted smile.

"I know we joked about the possibility of my going insane had it not been for you, but I think I –"

"Elena," Damon cut her off, surprising himself at the softness of his voice. He rested his hand atop hers, her gaze drifting to where they touched and he couldn't help but be drawn to the connection as well. The softness of her hands, the strange tingle that radiated under his palm was overwhelming. A moment later he sniffed, removing his hand, feeling the loss, and downing his tumbler full of amber before waving for another.

"You know you shouldn't be drinking," Elena said quietly.

_Here we go again, _he groaned internally. "You know," he mimicked, side-eyeing her. "_You_ should really mind your own business."

Her smile faltered and her eyes filled with something that looked damn near worry. "Damon…"

"Elena," he said, trying his damnedest to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "Enough. I brought you here so that we could enjoy the fact that you survived the dreaded bar exam. Like I said, pass or fail – you deserve to have a night to celebrate and besides, you need to lighten up."

She gaped at him. "_I_ need to lighten up?"

"Yup."

"You know, that's the second time tonight you've said that to me. Fine." Elena waved Billy back over and told him to make her four shots of Jagermeister and yet another Mai Tai.

"Come on, Elena," he cautioned with something close to concern. "Don't be stupid."

"Stupid?" she grinned, her eyes dancing. "Now…_what_ was it that you said…?

_June 2005_

_Elena was just about to fall asleep when she heard something scratching the glass of her window. Frightened, she clutched at her comforter and pulled it over her head._

"_ELENA!" _

_Recognizing Damon's voice, she jumped out of bed and ran to her window. Unlatching the lock and throwing it open, Elena shot daggers into him from above. He was trying to climb his mother's trellis. He slipped once or twice and it nearly gave her a panic attack. "What the hell are you doing?" she snarled in a loud-whisper. "Are you crazy?"_

"_Crazy hot," Damon laughed, gripping at the windowsill and_ _snarled playfully, "Now are you going to let me in, or what?" His fingers turned white with the struggle it took for him to hold on. "Elena!"_

_She contemplated it for a few long seconds – just to make him squirm – before helping him into her room. "You are an idiot. You might have woken up my parents." _

_Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at him. It had been two weeks since their joyride and the resulting car accident, two weeks since they'd seen each other and even though she missed him more than she could have imagined, if Damon's yelling her name had caused her parents to wake up, she was going to be pissed._

"_And if I did, I'll just apologize and leave."_

_Unable to stay mad at him, she threw her arms around his neck and when he wrapped his around her waist, she held him close._

"_I miss you so much, pretty girl," he breathed into her hair as she squeezed him tighter._

"_And I miss you." Elena pulled back to look up at him, trying not to lean into him as he played with a lock of her hair in between his fingers. "Did you really have to climb up the damn trellis?" _

"_Yes."_

"_You could have hurt yourself!" she giggled softly, playfully punching him. "When you leave –"_

"_Awe, do I have to already?" he frowned. "I just got here."_

"_No, but when you do, just go quietly down the stairs," she insisted, gazing at him beseechingly. "Don't be stupid, okay?"_

_Damon pouted, his lips tugging upward. "Oh, but stupid's so much more _fun_."_

Staring into his glass of bourbon, Damon shrugged. "I have no idea. Can't remember," he lied, chuckling when she raised an unconvinced eyebrow. "Anyway, I thought you were ignoring me."

"Oh." Blushing a shade of pink, she looked away from him. "I am."

He nodded condescendingly. "Mhmm. I can see that. You are succeeding with _flying _colors."

"Smartass," she muttered as the bartender laid her third drink and the shots of Jagermeister in front of her. Watching Damon slowly nurse his bourbon, she huffed impatiently.

He rolled his eyes. "What now."

"Aren't you going to finish that?" she asked curiously, taking a giant gulp of her Mai Tai.

"Miss Elena, are you trying to get us drunk?" He smirked, pointing to her already half-empty glass. "Besides, I could have sworn you said you wanted me _not_ to drink."

"You can get drunk. Or don't. But I'm having fun tonight. And I know what I said, but you told me to stop and loosen up, so that's what I'm doing. I'm loosening up and not worrying anymore," she said, holding up the first shot in the air and loving the commanding way she was speaking. It felt great to not second guess everything she said around him, and even better that she wasn't worried about how he was going to respond. She wasn't sure if it was because she was under the influence or if things were starting to seem normal between them again. Nevertheless she finished the last half of her Mai Tai and said, "Now order something else or pick up a shot. I'm waiting."

"Well, _excuse_ me, Miss Bossy-Pants," he said, whistling for the bartender and signaling for another bourbon. When his drink arrived, Elena pushed a shot toward him, asking with a slight slur, "Wanna make it a contest?"

"A what?"

"You know," she said, "it's when people try to –"

"I know what a contest is, Elena."

"Glad to hear it! On the count of three, we drink."

"You sure you can handle that?" he asked, gesturing to her shot glasses. "It's pretty powerful stuff."

"One…"

"Oh, you can't be serious."

"Two…"

He rolled his eyes, cupping his drink as well. "Here we go."

"THREE!" she shouted, knocking back her shot before Damon had a chance to bring his glass to his lips. Glaring at her, he quickly consumed his shot of licorice flavored liquor. "I win," she giggled, her smile big and bright and her eyes already beginning to glaze over.

"Yeah, well, you cheated."

"Did not! I am no cheater, you were too slow, Salvatore!" she cheered. "How's that for loosening up?"

"Yes, jumping the gun before your competition was ready," he deadpanned, "that was truly badass of you."

"You're just jealous," she replied airily, wrinkling her nose.

"That I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol? Yes. The green-eyed monster is taking control," he put a hand to his chest in mock horror. "Quick. Somebody help."

Forty minutes and several more shots later, the storm had worsened and so had the two old friends' judgement. Elena gave Damon a coy look before hopping out of her seat. The alcohol rushed through her body, making her squeal with laughter as she lost her balance and grabbed the bar counter to prevent her fall.

"Hey there, boozey," he said with a laugh, downing another bourbon and flashing her with a toothy grin just as lightning flashed outside. "Long time, no chat, huh?"

Elena's smile vanished and she wagged a sloppy finger disdainfully. "Do you always have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Be an ass," she hiccupped. "Do you always _have_ to be an ass?"

Damon continued on as if he hadn't heard a word she said. "I used to take care of you when you were hunched over the toilet. That's not very ass-like."

"You only took care of me when you weren't shoving your tongue down some girl's throat, which _is_ ass-like."

"Well, let's see, if by 'some girl' you mean _you,"_ he flashed his brilliant blues at her while waggling his brows flirtatiously, "then, _yes_, guilty as charged."

Elena couldn't stop the burst of giggles that bubbled from her lips. "You made a law joke."

"That I did," he said, eyes twinkling with amusement.

Flitting somewhat unsteadily over to the jukebox, Elena eyed the catalog of songs before choosing one of her own selection. Immediately The Cadillac Black's "Turn It On" came over the speakers and Damon smirked, cocking an eyebrow upwards when Elena beckoned him with a "come hither" motion. He stood from his seat and sauntered towards her.

"I didn't know you liked country," he said, licking his lips as he glanced at hers.

"You know perfectly well I love country."

"So, what do you say, Elena…dance with me?" He held his hand out to her as he drawled, "There's music."

"There is music," she nodded, swallowing at the fuzzy memory of dancing with him on the night her date had stood her up, the way her breathing had quickened when he'd touched her, and the feeling of his fingers setting her skin on fire when they gripped her waist and tugged her closer. Her pulse raced as he stepped closer to her, just as it had back then.

"Good music," Damon grinned lazily. His body was warm from the alcohol and he was feeling brave – not to say that he was afraid of asking her, because he wasn't, but he figured since she seemed to be feeling the effects of their celebratory drinking binge, he felt more confident that she would say yes. "Dance with me." The moment she placed her hand in his, not hesitating for a second, he was instantly pleased (more so than he had expected to be). He brought her out onto the dance floor, smack dab in the middle of the room.

As he looked down at her, Damon felt his heart hammer inside of his chest. Normally, he'd be reaching for his medicine, but this sensation wasn't anything along the lines of pain. This…_this _was something he hadn't felt in years, not since the last time he'd been with Elena at that frat party. He'd been with countless other women, but this woman…this girl was the only one who had the ability to make his body react with something that went deeper than lust.

The last time he had danced with her had been the last time they'd been drunk together and as his hands came to rest on her hips – he nearly grinned at the way she briefly tensed and then relaxed – Damon was sure that history would not be repeating itself. He forbade it. The night would not end with a trip to the hospital in an ambulance. The night would not end with one of them in tears, or a fit of anger.

Nothing bad was going to happen to them tonight.

The second verse to the country song had begun to play, and Damon started humming along, spinning her under his arm and drawing her close, her back pressed tight against his chest; he knew every word to this one.

"Tight, white dress, hair in a mess, tonight she's turning it on," he whispered into her ear as her hips rolled backwards into his pelvis.

"I'm not turning anything on," she slurred, looking over her shoulder at him with glassy eyes. "I'm not a light switch, Damon."

"No, but you are drunk," he said as they continued to dance, fused together from shoulder to hip. "No more Mai Tai's for you, Miss Elena."

"Whatever," Elena sniffed, placing her hands on his at her hips, and twining their fingers together so that it was easier to keep her balance.

Before he could come up with a witty response, she turned around, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and ground right into him, their faces just mere inches apart. Both breaths caught at the friction. Sparks of electricity shot straight to Elena's core and Damon's cock throbbed.

"Have I mentioned how much I love this song?" he asked playfully, his hands skimming over her hips to settle low on the curve of her ass as they continued to move. He found himself bombarded and blasted with the drunken memories from their past, reminding him of just how good they'd once been together before it all went to shit. And when she rocked her hips again, just so, he dropped his forehead to hers and hissed. "Holy hell, Elena."

"Damon," she gasped in surprise, blinking up at him when she felt his erection. She knew there was a possibility she'd regret it in the morning, but as she stared at his darkening gaze, the butterflies went wild and when he dipped his head closer to hers, not making any other move, she reached up on her toes and pressed her lips – briefly – to his. Good God, the feeling of his lips against hers, the way they meshed together as fluidly as they had that day at the office…oh, but it was so much better than that. This kiss had no trace of malice. This kiss had every ounce of passion. However, she pulled away, breathless. "I-I've clearly had too much to drink…I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he growled, yanking her back to him and capturing her mouth again.

He took Elena's face in his hands and moved his lips more insistently against hers, thanking Jesus that she was at least "loose" enough to let herself enjoy something she clearly wanted. And she wasn't the only one with a buzz, he was feeling it too, and when she bit at his lip, he groaned.

"Not gonna lie," he panted once they broke apart. The need for oxygen was a bitch, and the alcohol in his system was making him bold. "Missed that mouth, Gilbert."

It made her bold too. "I've missed you."

He froze. Even in his hazy stupor, his stomach clenched at the admission. He'd missed so much more than her mouth. He'd missed her lips, her smile, her laughter and her voice. He missed her sweet, naïve attitude about things and he missed the wistful sigh she made whenever she was truly happy.

He missed _her_.

And something about that was just...not right. It was guilt-inducing. He needed to pull back. He needed to back away and give them both some breathing room for a multitude of reasons that pained him to think about it. He knew he needed to backtrack. And fast.

"Damn, you _are_ drunk," he finally chuckled, ignoring the twinge in his heart as he pushed a strand of hair behind Elena's ear and backed away from her. "Come on, let's go get a glass of water and try to sober you up some." He removed her hands from his neck, kept one in his and tried to lead her away from the dance floor and back to the bar…until he was yanked backwards. "Are you so drunk you can't understand English, or?"

"Damon…"

"I said, let's go."

"Listen to me, dammit," she demanded and he let out a sharp really, really didn't want to have this conversation drunk, in a bar, and in public, but he'd always sucked at denying her anything.

"Fine," he waved sloppily. "Please, go on and purge."

"I miss you," she repeated.

"I dunno why," he sniggered, waving his fingers. "I'm right here."

His bravado disappeared when her eyes glistened and she ripped herself away from him, storming towards the exit. _For a drunken thing, she's quick as hell,_ he grumbled, powerless to keep from chasing after her. Throwing open the door, he paused momentarily at the wall of rain that blocked him before he chased her out into the downpour. He wouldn't let her get away from him.

"Elena!" he shouted at her back as thunder crackled. "Don't run from me!"

Fucking hell, when she got angry it was like talking to a goddamn wall…and he found that it wasn't only her mouth and the sounds that came out of it that he missed. He missed her temper, her stubbornness, and with everything that was amazing about Elena Gilbert, and there was a lot to love…there were just as many flaws. As it came over him that he was thinking about what he loved about Elena, he clenched his jaw and tried to shake the thoughts away.

"Why shouldn't I?" she snarled, whirling around before lifting a hand to her head to stop the world from spinning. "Hmm? You always run from me! And it's not like it isn't anything you haven't seen before! You said I taught you how to run away so this is just me verifying that statement!"

He rushed toward her at her outburst, catching her by the elbow when she turned away from him. As the precipitation increased, so did Damon's frustration. He shook his head and hissed, "Uh-uh, I don't _think _so. We're not done."

"Really?" She fought against his hold, but it was useless. He wasn't hurting her by any means, but she sure as hell wasn't escaping. She shouted over the worsening thunderstorm, "Let me go!"

"Believe me, I've tried."

She blinked in confusion, trying to get rid of the water currently dripping in her eyes. "What?"

"Nothing," he growled, trying to keep the panicked edge out of his voice, from revealing things he wasn't ready to admit. "Look, I'm not letting you go anywhere. Not until you explain to me why you just –"

Before he could finish his sentence, Elena captured his lips with hers, effectively cutting him off with her infuriating, intoxicating mouth.

Fuck everything. He was done.

He was done, for good, with trying to push her away.

* * *

Throwing open the door the second their taxi came to a stop, Damon paid the driver, grinning when he realized Elena wasn't letting go of his hand. He quickly towed her inside the building, making a beeline for the elevators. As soon as the doors closed, Damon crashed his lips against hers and she stumbled backwards until she was pressed against the wall, moaning when his tongue swirled with hers.

He lifted her off of the ground, cupping her ass in his hands as she wrapped her legs around his waist, unable to keep her hands off of him. Throwing her head back and hissing when it hit the wall, she reached down to further hike up her rain-drenched skirt. They were both soaking wet, nearly suffocating in the clothes that were sticking to their bodies like a second skin. Elena's breath caught as Damon's fingers danced along the lacy fabric of her underwear, the delicious sound making his cock strain against the confines of his pants.

The bell rang, announcing their arrival on Elena's floor seconds before the elevator doors slid open. Fumbling their way down the hallway, she struggled with the lock on the front door, nearly falling to the floor when she finally succeeded.

"Bed," Elena gasped breathlessly, as his lips moved to the soft skin of her throat. "Damon, _bed_."

"Lead the way," he panted, following more than willingly as she drew him to the other side of the apartment. They stumbled over some books Elena had forgotten to put away and the moment her knees hit the back of the bed, she collapsed onto the mattress. Immediately, he climbed on top of her, straddling her hips before hungrily meeting her lips again.

On some level, Damon knew that he should stop, knew that _they_ should stop, because neither of them was sober and he wasn't sure about himself, but he knew damn well Elena would regret it when she woke up the next morning. He was about to protest and stop their makeout session from escalating when she lifted her hips and pressed herself against him. He could feel her wet heat bleeding through their rain soaked clothing.

Oh, _fuck_.

"Elena," he said, wincing at the sound of desperation he noted in his voice, angry that he was about to halt the thing that the younger version of himself had dreamed about from happening. Damon could practically hear a certain blonde whispering into his ear that now was the perfect time – that if he slept with Elena, she'd be primed for him to break her. A few weeks ago, when following through with the plan had been the only goal in his mind, he was sure he would have heeded Imaginary Rebekah's voice.

Thunder continued to roll outside, as if the heavens above were objecting to his Seduce & Destroy strategy.

_Fuck my life, _he grumbled.

He couldn't do it.

Pulling away, he stared down at the woman beneath him and knew that it wouldn't be right. Because things had changed. He wanted Elena – God, did he ever – but even though every fiber of his being was calling out for her, he knew that he couldn't act on it. It wouldn't be right. Not now. Not like this – not when there was an honest-to-God chance he could _make_ things right between them and have what was about to happen be _real_, for each of them.

_I'm still in love with her. _

The realization struck him like the lightning striking outside, giving him the final push to do the right thing. Sitting up abruptly and breathing heavily, he dragged a hand through his damp hair as Elena's eyes whipped open.

"What is it?" she slurred – her disorientation having nothing to do with her intoxication. Reaching for his arm, she pressed. "What's wrong, are you okay?"

Damon closed his eyes, hating the very high and annoying road he was about to take as he nodded. Turning to look at her, he shot her a pained smile. "Yup. Fine."

"Then why'd you stop?" She returned his smile, missing the agony behind it as she sat up on her elbows and raised a brow. She bit her lip flirtatiously, giggling. "I thought we were having fun. Things were about to get interesting."

He groaned. As if it wasn't hard enough, that memory just made it all the more difficult. "We're drunk."

"Drunk people fuck all the time, Damon."

"Doesn't mean _we _should, Elena," he weakly protested.

They weren't just any two wasted people. They were Damon and Elena, and this would change everything between them.

"We can handle it," she insisted, unsure if she completely believed her words, but she was intoxicated and craving something she knew only Damon could satisfy.

Maybe Elijah had been right. She missed Damon, she wanted _Damon_, and if this was the only way she could get him – drunk and naked with the risk of not remembering a damn thing and nothing to remember the night by, save for the mind-splitting headache she was sure she'd have – then, well…she was willing to take that chance. Climbing up onto her knees, she tugged at his shirt, frowning when he took her hands in his to stop her attempts.

"Elena, don't…"

"Oh, come on." She leaned in until she could feel his warm breath against her lips. Her eyes drifted to his mouth before cupping his face in her hands and looking into his eyes. "Time-out…just five minutes," she whispered, dropping one of her hands to trail down his body to cup the bulge of his cock through his pants.

_No man can resist an invitation like that, _Damon thought, his eyes snapping open as he gave in - to her, to his desires, to everything he'd been denying, to everything he'd pretended that he hadn't wanted since she'd thrown herself back into his life, and to everything he _had_ wanted since he was eighteen. Shrugging out of his shirt, he moved to take hers off as well. "You're not gonna smack me away this time, are you?" he teased playfully, nipping at her ear as his fingers skated along the hem of her top.

"Nope," Elena grinned, lifting her arms up in the air and inhaling sharply as soon as the toned skin of her midriff was met with the cold chill of the room. She moaned when his lips sucked her earlobe into his mouth and laved it.

She might have been freezing now, but she was fairly certain she would warm up soon.

"Damon, please," she moaned as his mouth moved down her jaw, placing scalding kisses along the skin there before moving to her collarbone, and then to her stomach where he paused to twirl his tongue along her navel. He grinned when she tensed and lifted his hands to slip her skirt and panties down and off of her legs. Caressing her shins, he met her gaze and smirked when her legs practically fell open, inviting him. He settled himself in between them.

Elena's cheeks burned along with her core as he turned his face and grazed his teeth along the skin of her inner thigh. Goosebumps prickled all over her body and her belly clenched when his tongue slid over her skin, massaging a path of circles from where he began until he reached the junction of her thighs.

"W-wait, wait, wait, Damon, stop," she breathed, tugging at his wet, tangled hair when he went to lower his head. He looked up at her, confused, as she pulled him up to her. "You can explore later," she murmured against his lips, gently tugging his plump lower one in between her teeth.

His piercing blue irises darkened three shades and he inched over her, fusing their lips together. Damon groaned when Elena rolled her hips against his, pushing her into the bed as she sunk her nails into his back. His groan morphed into a sharp hiss when her hand dipped into his pants and wrapped around his cock, urging him to put a stop to the foreplay and give them both what they wanted. He shook of his pant legs and boxers before going back to worshiping her body. He grazed his nose along the valley of her breasts before bracing his arms on either side of her head. Damon hovered over her for a moment before thrusting inside. Elena sucked in a sharp breath and for a moment, neither one of them moved. Both eyes locked on each other as the dizzying, world-stopping feeling consumed them both.

They fit together _perfectly._

Elena's eyelids fluttered wildly as she got used to the delicious feeling of him. He hadn't even begun to move yet and she was already seeing stars. She hadn't experienced anything like it; he fit like no one else ever had and she wondered why the hell she'd waited until she was drunk before allowing this to happen, allowing herself to chase after what she'd always wanted. Elena moaned when he swiveled his hips, pulled out and then slid back in.

_God, he feels amazing, _she thought blissfully as they moved together.

_God, she feels incredible,_ Damon thought through his haze.

They continued to meet thrust for thrust, their motions increasing in force and speed as the passion between them grew. Knowing that he was about to come, Damon reached between their bodies, teasing Elena's clit and causing her to cry out her release. Shortly after, he followed her over the edge, collapsing on top of her, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck.

"Christ," he muttered raggedly a few moments later, pulling out and rolling onto his side so as not to crush Elena with his weight. Damon dropped his head back against one of the pillows, closing his eyes and wincing as he listened to his heart pound in his ears. Peeking through his lashes as the bed sheets rustled, he caught Elena staring at him anxiously. "I know what you're thinking," he quipped, swallowing and fighting for breath. "I've got a sixth sense when it comes to that brain of yours."

"I'm just wo–"

"You gave me a workout. I'm fine. Trust me?" he ordered, though it came out as more of a question.

Elena eventually nodded and he tried to focus on something other than his heart condition, like the fact that he'd just slept with the love of his life for the first time. Elena lifted her head and rested it in the palm of her hand as she said, "Speaking of that workout…"

"Yeah. That was…that was something else."

She bit her lip before pinning him with an inquiring gaze. "Any regrets?"

"Not-a-one."

She smiled, but didn't dare to make a move. She wanted to give Damon his space. She gasped, erupting into giggles as he suddenly pulled her to him, and she immediately nestled into his embrace. He stroked her sweat-slicked back with his fingers, and it didn't take long for the soothing motion to lull her into slumber. She was asleep in his arms just minutes later, given how much she'd had to drink along with the aftermath of her release.

He swallowed nervously. The pain wasn't letting up, the pounding intensifying inside of his chest so when he was sure she'd fallen asleep, he carefully climbed out of bed and reached for his slacks. He dug into his back pocket for his pill bottle and got dressed as quickly as possible before making his leave.

Taking one last look at the girl sound asleep, Damon quietly shut the door behind him.

* * *

A soft knocking sound on her front door pulled Elena from sleep. Opening her eyes slowly, she quickly squeezed them shut against the subtle sunlight pouring through her bedroom window as a migraine bloomed at the base of her skull.

_Ugh. Hangovers._

Wincing, she slowly sat up, covering her naked breasts with her sheet as soon as she remembered that she wasn't alone.

"Damon?" she called, her voice raspy with its first use. Placing a hand to her head, she tried to fight the spinning world as she cleared her throat and tried again. "Damon," she said louder, but was met with the same silence. Turning to look beside her, she noticed his side of the bed looked like it had been slept in, the sheets were still wrinkled, the imprint of his body still there, though she couldn't be sure. Either he must have just left, or she'd slept so deeply she hadn't moved after he'd gone early in the night.

It hit her like a ton of bricks.

Last night had really happened.

She'd slept with Damon and it had been…nothing short of wonderful. She could no longer deny her heart what it really wanted.

Checking her nightstand, Elena picked up her phone, slid to unlock the screen and noticed the time. It was 9:13 in the morning and she had a text message from Damon.

_From: Damon Salvatore _

_Message: Had to bolt. Hope you're not praying to the porcelain god this morning. See you at work on Monday._

Before she could further settle her thoughts on the feelings of disappointment and frustration of his absence and the emotionless message, the knocking – now louder and more insistent – sounded again. Scrambling out of bed, Elena let the sheets fall, quickly making her way over to her bathroom and grabbing her robe that was hanging off the hook of the door. She hurried to her front door and peeked through the peephole, her heart dropping to the floor when she saw who was on the other side. Twisting the handle, she was met with his happy expression.

"Surprise," Elijah smiled kindly as guilt surged through her. "Good morning, sweetheart."

Raising his hands, he revealed a bag of _Bagel Buffet_ bagels in one hand and a cardboard tray holding two steaming cups of coffee in the other. He walked past her and headed towards the small kitchen area. _Way to make me feel worse,_ she grumbled to herself, forcing a smile before allowing him inside. She tightened her robe around her body and knotted the tie while following him.

"Have you seen how lovely it is outside? There isn't a cloud in the sky," he said to her, setting the food and coffee on top of her tiny, circular side table-turned-kitchen table. "I thought we could enjoy some breakfast before going for a walk in Central Park." He looked up at her, his warm brown eyes showing no hint of the doubt they'd exposed the last time he'd been in her apartment. "What do you say? Would you care to join me?"

She couldn't bear to look at him. "Elijah," she said quietly, trying to figure out how to tell him the news. Her head felt like there was a jackhammer going to town inside of her skull and her stomach rolled from both her hangover and her nerves over what she was about to do. She didn't want to break his heart again, but she couldn't pretend that everything between them was copasetic, either. She had to do what was best for them both, even though it would hurt. It was time.

"You've finished your bar exam so it's not as if you're busy studying." Elijah stepped toward her, tilting his head in curiosity. "Elena, are you alright?" he asked gently. "You don't look well."

"I don't feel well," she told him honestly, inhaling deeply to deter her hangover-induced nausea for the moment. "It was a long night."

"Did you rest while studying?" he frowned. "Your immune system is probably low and now that the main reason for your stress is gone, your body's probably in Recovery-Mode."

"No." Elena shook her head to add that she'd gotten drunk at Billy's, but before she could, he interrupted her. "I didn't get much – "

"What is that?"

Elena turned around to see what he was pointing to and underneath her bed, just barely visible, was a black sock.

A black, _men's_ sock.

Oh…_shit_.

"You normally wear nylons...and to be honest, I don't think I've ever seen you wearing socks, period, _sweetheart_," he said, the term of endearment angry and biting as it came out of his mouth. Her heart sank.

"Elijah," she said softly, trying to soothe him though knowing it was pointless. "I can explain."

"I'm sure you can, but perhaps I can do it myself in one word: Damon." When she couldn't form a response, he just chuckled harshly and shook his head in disappointment. "And to think I was contemplating moving for you. Unbelievable."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, hastily wiping away an errant tear. She didn't have to rehash the details of what had transpired between her and Damon. He didn't need to know how much time they'd been spending together, or how earth-shattering their sex had been. All he needed to know was that he had been right, even though she hadn't realized it until now. "You were right, about how I felt about Damon and I'm…I am _so_ sorry."

"I should have gone with my instincts."

Her voice cracked as she confessed everything. "Elijah, I'm not over him. I-I don't think I'll ever be over him."

* * *

That Monday, Damon watched contently as Elena filed cases, every now and then pausing to tuck a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. He smirked as she swore softly and went back to fix a mistake she'd made; nothing he was worried about – she'd caught the problem and handled it easily.

Now it was his turn to handle his mistake.

"Elena," he called, making her jump in surprise as her head snapped up. "Easy, 'fraidy cat." The shy smile that spread over her face brought an amused grin to his and he stepped over to her. Sitting on the edge of her desk, he leaned over and whispered into her ear. "I do believe the last time you had goosebumps was when I was rocking your world."

Elena blushed furiously. "Wow," she said, clearing her throat and looking away from him, "someone's cocky."

"We know I have every reason to be," he smirked.

Inhaling deeply, Elena looked up at him. "Can I help you with something, Damon?"

He nodded, his features evening out. "We need to talk."

"Yeah," she agreed and his brows shut upwards. "We do actually. When would you like to meet?"

"Just meet me in my office at the end of the day."

With that, he rose and left her to her piles of paper and case files. Eyeing him until he disappeared from around the corner, Elena frowned. He'd popped in, made a few playful comments, and then left saying they needed to talk. What could he have wanted to talk about? Her mind was racing with possibilities, but she had to admit that only one had managed to plant a seed of hope into her mind.

Six and a half hours later, Elena headed to Damon's office. He was lounging in his black leather chair and speaking quietly into the phone. Had the receiver been connected to a cord, she would have strolled right up and taken hold of it, threatening to unplug it. She wouldn't have gone through with it, but she would've mouthed "Karma's a bitch," just to get a reaction from him anyway.

Catching sight of her, Damon waved her into the room. "Conversation is over. Enough…no, we're not discussing this anymore, Bex. It's over. Do you understand? Yes, I'm being serious. No, I know exactly what this means," he said firmly before hanging up on whomever it was he had been talking to. He rose from his seat and walked around his desk to meet her. "Hey there."

"Hey back."

"How was your weekend?"

"It was nice," she blushed, looking up at him through her lashes when he placed his hands on her hips. Even sober his touch was dizzying, and she found it hard to concentrate. "You…you said you wanted to talk?"

"I did," he smirked. "About this weekend."

"This weekend?"

"Well," he shrugged, grinning as Elena beamed at his next words and his grip on her tightened. "This past weekend, that is."

"What about it?" she asked, her voice hitching an octave, silently cursing herself for sounding like a school girl with a crush on the most popular boy in school. Deciding that she needed to rectify her child-like response, she spoke again. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Not all of it," he said tightly, before smoothing out his face and softening his eyes at the sight of her flinching. He knew by the reaction he'd given her, she probably thought he had regrets he'd promised he didn't have. "Sorry. I had a great time with _you_. I'm just annoyed from the conversation you walked in on. I'm trying my not to project my irritation onto you, but I'm not succeeding, am I?"

"It's okay," she said airily. "I'm used to it."

Damon rolled his eyes.

Trying to calm the butterflies in her belly and attempting to keep them from bursting out of her (and failing) when he lowered his head to kiss her, she smiled brightly and kissed him back.

He rested his forehead on hers, swallowing heavily. "I wanted to talk…about us."

"Us?" she squeaked, earning a lopsided grin from Damon. He pulled away from her and ran a hand through his hair, not caring if it got mussed - it was the end of the day and he didn't have any clients to tend to. Not that he cared what his hair looked like anyway, not when he had extremely high hopes of a tiny brunette ruffling it up for him.

"I don't remember much about the other night, but I do remember a few things." She saw his Adam's apple bob up and down and could've sworn he looked nervous before he suddenly admitted, "When you told me to let you go, I told you that I'd tried. I've tried letting you go, Elena. So many fucking times over the years that I've lost count."

Wincing, Elena looked away from him, his words cutting her deep as she realized – now that she was sober – what he'd meant.

"I'm done trying."

Her eyes flickered to his soft and steady gaze. "You are?" she asked quietly, lifting a brow and tilting her head curiously.

He nodded slowly, unable to look away. "I want you to end things with that guy who doesn't know you like I do and I want you…to be with me." He closed the distance until their chests were touching. He lifted his hand to her face and as his blue-eyed gaze danced from her chocolate ones to her lips, he demanded gently. "Elena, be with me."

* * *

Shit. Goddammit. Fuck.

The only thing keeping Damon from shouting at the top of his lungs as he made his way back to his place was the memory of Friday night. Everything prior to he and Elena sleeping together was growing foggier by the moment, but the act of their first time was perfectly fresh in his mind…perfect.

Being with her had been perfect.

There wasn't a goddamn thing he'd change…aside from maybe the fact that he'd have liked to have been sober during it. Unlocking his front door, he pushed it open and made his way to the kitchen, intent on pouring himself a glass of water. Instead, he groaned at the blonde perched happily on his kitchen counter. "How the fuck did you get in here?"

Rebekah triumphantly held up a small, silver object. "You never told me to give your key back."

"Give me my key back."

"Awe, that's not very polite. Aren't you happy to see me?" she pouted, hopping down and sauntering toward him. "I've missed you. We have lots to catch up on, don't you agree?"

"Nope," he shook his head, skirting around her to the cupboard.

"Wrong," she smiled, continuing before he could argue. "I've recently acquired a new job, and you've recently slept with Elena haven't you?"

His face fell before he was able to mask it with the anger that was quickly enveloping him at the way she spoke Elena's name. "How the hell did you know that?"

"Was it good?"

"I asked you a question,_"_ he pressed. "How did you _know?"_

"Even if it _wasn't _written all over your face," Rebekah shook her head and beamed at him. "I know the walk of a man who's succeeded in his…_goals._"

"Whatever," he snarled, slapping her hand away when she reached up to tap her finger on his nose. "Don't touch me."

"Ooh, someone's in a sour mood."

"Not feeling great," he admitted gruffly, going back to his original goal of getting water. "What do you want, Bex?"

"I want you to tell me about your night!"

"I went to the bar. Got drunk. Went to sleep. The end."

"Now, now, we _both_ know there is more to that story than you're letting on, Damon."

"No." He glared at her. "There isn't."

"Liar."

"Fine." He turned around angrily and didn't bother to hide the animosity he felt towards her. "Yes. Elena and I were together last night."

"Riding the hobby horse, then?"

"Rebekah," he growled, taking a deep breath, knowing she held no control over him or his fucking 'plan.' She was just in on it, and that in and of itself was enough for him to keep from biting her head off. If he said the wrong thing, she could easily run and confess everything to Stefan or Katherine or worse…Elena. God, and if she ever found out… "Yeah," he cleared his throat, hoping the blonde hadn't noticed his pause, "we had our fun, but like I said before, I'm done."

"Done? What are you going on about?" she demanded, her eyes once again a light with that devilishly cunning glint. "No, no, no! Damon. Listen to me, if Elena enjoyed last night as much as I suspect she did – because you and I have had plenty of romps in the sack and I know how good you are – then she is so, so close to falling for you, if she hasn't already. She is _right _where you want her, Damon."

A cruel smile that Damon would have once shared curled over her lips and in that instant, he knew what he had to do.

* * *

_AN: The drama is only just getting started. Thank you all so freaking much for reading this thing and sharing your thoughts with me. Your reviews = support, and your support means the world. See you next chapter! ~Kate  
_


	9. When will it start to feel easy?

_AN: SURPRISE! Quickest update yet! Read and enjoy! ~Kate_

_Thank you to Mariah and Layla Reyne for all their help! _

* * *

Elena woke to the sound of a steady knocking on her door. Looking over at her alarm clock, she saw it was later than she'd expected – even on a Saturday morning when she had nowhere to be, she normally woke up at the crack of dawn. Quietly, she crawled out of bed, tiptoeing across the floor to avoid causing the wood to creak and peeked through the peephole. Unlocking the door, she smiled at the postman as he retrieved her mail from his duffle bag and held it out to her.

"Good morning, miss," he nodded, glancing at the return address. "No matter how it turns out, try your best to enjoy the day."

"You too," she replied, her smile faltering in confusion as she accepted the envelope and watched him continue on down the hall to deliver mail to the other tenants on her floor.

Then she looked down and saw it.

The results from her bar exam.

Nearly five weeks had passed since she'd taken it. Hours upon hours of studying, sleepless nights, and more had led up to the moment that would determine everything for her. The time had passed slowly, the waiting like watching paint dry, but now that she was holding her future in her hands, she wondered where the time had gone. She'd successfully sought distraction in work…and Damon.

He'd done a spectacular job of keeping her busy. Whenever they weren't at work, he'd take her to Billy's or they'd chill at his place or hers. Whenever she'd start to sink back into depression and anxiety, he'd find ways to get her mind off of it. He'd bring up old memories of the sweetest kind, and that would immediately brighten her mood. Or he'd take her out dancing. Or he'd remind her just how good they were together when they did the horizontal tango in a naughty whisper at work, and her stress would disappear. Or he'd hug his arms around her waist, yank her close, and show everyone in the room she belonged to him.

It was the little things he did that prevented Elena from losing her mind.

Her future had been hand-delivered at eleven a.m. on a Saturday and, too anxious to open the letter alone, Elena kept it sealed and called Damon.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said upon answering. "You rang?"

She beamed, failing to hold back her excitement as she squealed. "MY RESULTS CAME IN!"

"Yeah? Jesus, well, you know what's been blown out? My eardrum. Thanks for that." His chuckle carried over the line. "Have you opened the envelope yet?"

"No," she laughed, not even attempting to hide her nervousness. "I can't do it. I'm too afraid!"

"Don't be. I'm sure you did fine, babe. Where are you right now?"

Hearing his old nickname for her, Elena's mood sky-rocketed. When they were kids, it had been just a common nickname, like 'sweetie' or 'honey.' Years later, when she'd first joined the firm, he'd used that once-kind term to wound her, to remind her of their past in order to get a rise out of her. Now, it held an entirely different meaning and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered wildly.

"At the apartment," she said quickly, "The mail man woke me up to deliver my results!"

"I'm heading over now. Either way, we're going to celebrate."

"Okay," she smiled, her face nearly splitting in two as she nervously played with her fingers. "Hey, and would you mind –"

"I've already got 'em."

"Mind-reader, I'm telling you."

"You've been asking for them every day for the past week. I cave, I cave." Before Billy's, Damon's joking manner used to have a hint of poorly-hidden animosity. Now, the difference in his tone was just that – different; full of warmth and lack of bitterness.

"Thank you," she replied happily. "I'll see you soon?"

"Real soon, babe."

Tapping the "End" button on her phone, Elena decided to use the time she had to call up Jeremy and let him know what was going on. It had been a little while since they'd talked last, the last time being right before she'd gone to Billy's with Damon and her little brother had warned her about the possibility of him playing her. She was sure that he'd be happy to know that that wasn't the case. In fact, that night had been the true turning point in their relationship – neither of them had continued with the "I hate you / I hate you more" morass after that night. Damon had even confessed that he'd wanted to start something with her that was anything but hostile.

Reaching her brother's voicemail, Elena opted to leave him a bright and cheery message. "Jeremy! Shit, you're not there. I'm sorry it's been so long since we've talked; I miss you so, so much, and I have some news to share, so call me back when you get this, okay? I love you. And call me back!" She knew he wouldn't check his voicemail. He never did.

As soon as she set her phone down, it began ringing. "Jeremy!" she answered without bothering to check.

"Funny how you knew it was me, you goof."

"God, I miss you!" She started picking off petals from one of the daisies Damon had bought her the week before. "How are you?"

"Um…fine?" he chuckled. "How are you? I saw you left me a message, but you know how I feel about those."

"Right. Well, I took the bar exam…"

His response was immediate. "Did you pass?"

"No, I –"

"Awe, I'm sorry, sis –"

"Jere! Let me talk."

"Sorry! Go ahead."

"I haven't even opened the envelope yet," she giggled. "I don't know if I passed or not, but I wanted to tell you that I have the news right here in my hands."

"Well, open it!"

"Not yet."

"Why not?!"

"Because…" she trailed off, changing the subject abruptly as she reached for a bouquet of flowers sitting on her counter. She pulled one out of its vase and held twirled it in her hand. "Hey, when are you coming to visit me?"

There was a small pause and Elena wondered if their call had been dropped, before her brother responded. "It…it might be little while until I can get up there."

"Why? Is something keeping you in Mystic Falls?"

Jeremy hesitated a moment before reluctantly admitting. "More like someone."

Elena perked right up at that. "Oh, really? Who is she?" Her little brother had been cautious when it came to dating since he'd broken up with April Young after the accident. She couldn't help the burst of rapid fire questions that spilled from her lips. "Is she treating you well? Is she cute? What is she like?"

"Jesus, M-Elena,"she winced at his slip-up, but neither commented on it. "Uh…she's really great. Pretty sure you'll love her. She's kind, witty as hell, and –"

"Does she have a name?" she asked, amused by his coyness over the subject. "Or should I just call her Mystery Girl?"

"Anna."

"Anna…wait!" Realization dawned on her. "You mean you're with Little Anna Spencer? The girl who used to follow you around like a love-sick puppy?"

"That's the one."He didn't sound amused."She's really grown up since the last time you saw her. She's matured…she's….well, she's beautiful."

"How long have you two been together?"

"Nearing 8 months now…"

Elena's heart stopped. "That's right around the time when…"

"Yeah," he said quietly, his voice just barely carrying over the line. "I know…Remember when I went to rehab for my leg?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I wasn't there…"

"Don't be," he said sincerely. "Well, anyway, she was a big help. She was there for me through it all…I'm still having some trouble, but Anna's been great."

"Well," she swallowed thickly, plastering a smile on her face and hoping her brother could hear the cheerfulness in her voice as she looked down at the now bare flower. She'd picked off every last daisy petal. "I'm happy for you, Jere. Really, I am. So, when are you going to bring her up here?"

"Why do we have to be the ones to visit you?" he whined and she rolled her eyes.

"Call, me crazy, but I'd like to meet her?"

"Why can't you just come and visit us down here?"

"Well, because…," she trailed off at the sound of another knock on her front door. Nearly tripping over her own feet, she ran to it and threw it open, grinning at the bright blue eyes and a familiar sideways smirk as Damon stepped inside. She waved to him, trying to focus on the conversation she was having with her brother.

"Hello, Elena," he whispered, shutting the door behind him.

"Elena?" Jeremy inquired impatiently. "Answer me, will you?"

"Because," she repeated, looking into Damon's gaze and finding her answer. "I have a reason for staying here, too." She shook her head when he raised a brow, telling him not to mind her but he was clearly interested in what they were talking about.

"Hi," she said, her eyes darting to his lips as they closed in on hers in a brief hello kiss.

"Elena?"

"Hey, um," she mumbled breathlessly, remembering that Jeremy was on the other line. Damon's lips moved on, pressing kisses to her neck that weren't helping her to form coherent sentences. "I'll, uh, have to call you back, okay? Okay, love you, too. Bye."

Elena moaned as Damon pulled her closer with one arm and closed the door behind him with the other, pushing her against the wall as his mouth meshed with hers once again. When she pulled away, her knees were weak from the onslaught.

"What was that for?"

He gave her a small shrug, smirking at her. "_That_ was part one of Elena's Celebration."

"Part one?" she asked, impressed. "How many parts are there?"

"That's for me to know," he smirked devilishly, "and you to…dot, dot, dot."

"Ooh," she giggled. "Sounds exciting."

"Very." He gestured to her phone. "Was that Little Gilbert?"

"That it was."

"How's he doing?"

"Great," she smiled. "He's got himself a girlfriend."

"Oh, does he now?" Damon asked in mock surprise. "And he didn't have to bribe her?"

"Damon!" Elena chided, swatting at him and feeling her heart flutter up to her throat as he caught her hands and cradled them over his heart. "Do you by any chance remember Anna Spencer?"

"Nope," he said popping the 'p,' before his eyebrows drew together, swiping his thumbs back and forth over her hands. They stilled when a memory flickered in his mind. "Hang on a minute. Jeremy's dating Creepy Anna?"

"She was not creepy!" she gasped, bursting into giggles and playfully poking him in the chest. "She had a little school girl crush –"

"That little school crush resulted in a very weirded out baby brother of yours." Lifting his free arm into the air, he showed off a bag that made Elena's eyes light up with excitement. "Look what I've got."

"You brought me donuts!"

"I did," he smirked, "and not just any donuts." He pointed to the title on the box. "These things are from the Donut Hole."

"God, Damon, 'these things' are ridiculously expensive!" Elena snatched the bag from his hands, wandering into the kitchen area as she called over her shoulder. "But I'm so glad you splurged for me. My sweet-tooth has been going absolutely insane lately. Which flavors did you pick out?"

Damon followed her, heading over to her fridge and grabbing the pitcher of filtered water. "Nearly all of them," he said, opening the proper cupboard to find a glass to fill. "Except the strawberry-filled ones."

"Good call," she nodded and stared into the bag before choosing one for herself. "Can't have you going into anaphylactic shock and dying on us, now can we?"

"Nope, we cannot." He smirked as he set the glass down and walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. "Do you know why we can't have me dying on you?"

"Why?" she asked, playfully taking a bite of a chocolate covered donut hole. Her breath caught as Damon ducked forward, brushing his lips across her cheek before trailing them down to her neck. Her eyes fluttered as each caress set her skin on fire.

"Because I couldn't do this," he explained, pressing a soft kiss to Elena's skin. "Or this," he continued as he grazed his nose up the smooth column of her throat and kissed her just under her jaw. His fingers dipped into the hemline of her pajama bottoms and tugged her towards him when she sagged against the counter. "I wouldn't be able to do this anymore either," he smirked, before sealing their lips together into a sweet, but passionate kiss. "And we just _cannot_ have that."

Apparently satisfied by her dazed expression, he pulled away and returned to his water glass.

"I-I'm guessing," she breathed, attempting to reorganize her scrambled brain. "I'm guessing that you picked out a-a few of the dark chocolate glazed donuts with the salted caramel filling for yourself?"

He shot her a smug look, obviously loving the affect he had on her. "You know me so well."

Sobering instantly, Elena crossed her arms and pulled her cardigan closer to her body. She said softly, "I know you better than anyone."

She pushed a stray hair behind her ear and gave him a timid look. Somehow her conversation with her brother had re-entered her mind, saying that Damon wasn't the guy he was when they were kids, save for the fact that he could very well play her like the girls he'd played back in high school. He'd been wrong though, she knew. Elena knew he hadn't been playing those girls, at least, not intentionally. He was just looking for what he'd had all along. Her. And the same went for the other way around. Everyone she'd been with up until now had been an utter waste of time. Her heart didn't want anyone who wasn't Damon. She was sure of that as she tried to keep from drowning in his oceanic gaze.

"Where's that envelope?" he Damon asked, miraculously preventing himself from melting in her chocolate gaze. It had fallen silent between them, taking in the appearance and mood of the other. Elena's eyes widened at the abrupt reminder as she chuckled nervously. Damon frowned, pressing the point. "Elena."

"It's, um…over there. On my nightstand."

"Ooo, is it now?" he asked, a wicked grin spreading over his lips.

"Yes, but I'm not ready to look at it yet, Damon," she insisted, clutching at the counter.

"Well, here's what we can do," he said, coming over to her and placing a hand on the small of her back as he guided her towards her bed. She looked up at him indignantly, but didn't fight him. "If you passed, we'll celebrate," he said, waggling his brows playfully. He gave her a wink as he added, "And if you failed then…I'll just make you _forget_ that you did."

Guiding her towards the envelope, he noticed her staring down at the cute, but confusing wrap-thing she was wearing and fidgeting with it. Elena was worried, and it was normal. He knew this.

But Damon truly hoped she'd passed. She deserved it more than anyone and she really was doing a superb job at the firm. He was sure that if she passed his father would offer her a permanent position at Salvatore & Salvatore. He doubted he needed to, but he was more than willing to assist Elena in becoming an attorney if Giuseppe wasn't into it; it would make him feel slightly less guilty for even thinking about breaking her heart with that fucking Seduce & Destroy ploy.

_Stupid goddamn plan…_

In the time he'd been with Elena – actually _been_ with her as opposed to being the Best Friend, the Mortal Enemy and then The Possible Boyfriend (or whatever the hell he was to her) – Damon had acknowledged the fact that maybe he'd been wrong when he'd said that he didn't know if he could forgive Elena. Maybe, just maybe, he already had and hadn't yet realized until the first night he'd slept with her. Sure, they'd been drunk, but it had been the opening they'd needed to start hacking away at all the fucking walls they'd built over the years.

"Elena," he said softly, offering her a genuine smile when her eyes darted to his. He could see the anxiety sparking in her dark irises and spoke to soothe her. "You studied hard for this. Worst-case scenario, we prepare even better for the next time. Just rip the envelope open. Like a band-aid."

Relieved when she nodded at him and picked up the envelope, he waited patiently for her to do as he said. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled her down to sit beside him.

"I can do it if you're too chicken," he joked, nudging her with his shoulder. He chuckled when she glared at him, and he knew she was remembering one of the many times he'd egged her on with that very taunt when they'd been children.

_June 1994_

"_Get in the water!" Damon shouted up at Elena. _

_She was holding onto the rope swing as if her life depended on it. He, Stefan, and Jeremy were all swimming in the river. Some of the neighborhood parents – after making sure the water was deep enough – had built a swing and it hung over the water from an old willow tree. Normally they weren't that strong, but the kids were little and not heavy enough to cause any strain to the tree's branches._

"_Come on, Elena!" Jeremy yelled._

_Stefan jumped in with an enthusiastic, "Just go for it!"_

_Wrapping her fingers around the rope, she prepared to swing before freezing and shaking her head wildly. "I can't!"_

"_Don't be a wuss!"_

_She glared at Damon. _

"_That's right, you heard me! You're a chicken!"_

"_I am not a chicken!" she hissed, her brows dipping with indignation. "I am a brave lioness!"_

"_Yeah, okay, then Simba, prove it!" _

"_Simba is a boy, dummy," she retorted, tightening her grip on the rope. _

"_Whatever," Damon groaned, rolling his eyes. "Just jump, Elena! I promise I'll catch you!"_

_Steeling herself, Elena took hold of the rope and backed up a few steps before running off of the ledge with a thrilled scream._

She'd insisted that she wasn't a chicken, but a brave lioness. Damon smiled at the memory. God, they'd been so young, and she'd been cute as hell, fierce and terrified at the same time. He'd promised to catch her, but when she hit the water, surfacing with the biggest smile on her face, he knew she'd do it again.

All she had to do now was brace herself, open the envelope, and then they could go from there.

"I'm a brave lioness," she sniffed with a soft laugh and in a matter of seconds Elena had the results clutched in her fingers, the torn envelope on the other side of her.

He waited with baited breath as her eyes scanned the words that would decide her immediate future, breathing a huge sigh of relief when a gigantic smile broke over face.

"Oh my god," she breathed, looking at him and then back at the paper, as if she were checking to see if she'd misread the outcome. "I did it. I passed!"

"You passed!" he repeated, excited for her as well. He kissed her temple as he wrapped an arm around her, hugging her to him tightly. "Congratulations, babe." Damon frowned in confusion when he saw something wet hit the paper she was holding. Forcing her to look at him, he frowned at the sheen of tears in her eyes. "Those had better be tears of joy."

"They are," she laughed, wiping one from the corner of her eye. "Trust me, they are. I can't believe it. I've worked so hard for this, Damon."

"I know you have," he smirked. "I was there, remember?"

"Yeah, I do, but –"

Her words turned to a squeal of delight as Damon pulled her into his lap, took her face in his hand and gently tipped her chin to press a kiss to her lips.

"I think," he said, kissing her again. "It's time," he kissed her again, easing her down to the mattress, "to celebrate."

Untying her cardigan, Damon took his time undressing her, stripping the purple tank top over her head before dragging her pajama bottoms and panties down her toned thighs. Damon kissed her, making his way down her body until he reached her breasts. He laved his tongue over one peak, enjoying the way she went radio silent, save for the breathy moans and full body shivers.

Ideally, he would have preferred to continue his ministrations uninterrupted, but the moment Elena heard him reach for his buckle, she was there, teasing and cupping his rigid length as she helped him undress. When they were both deliciously naked, he pushed her back against the mattress, slipping his finger between the damp heat at the juncture of her thighs.

She was more than wet and ready for him.

"Condom?" he murmured against her lips.

"Drawer," she gasped at the way he curled his finger, and barely registering how he simultaneously reached with his free hand and easily retrieved a condom from her nightstand. "Oh god," she breathed, arching her hips into his hand when he added a second digit, multi-tasking as he pleasured her while rolling on the condom with one hand.

Pumping his fingers slowly, Elena began to writhe and thrust along with him, leaning into his shoulder and dropping her face into his neck as she sought her release. Damon felt her muscles clamp down around his fingers, winding tighter as her pants grew louder and louder as he twisted his fingers into the spongy tissue that was her g-spot. She cried out as her orgasm shot through her like a lightning bolt, trembling and jerking as Damon held her close, stroking her through it and stimulating her further.

While she was still coasting on the wave of her release, he replaced his fingers with his cock, slipping inside of her and earning a high-pitched cry of delight for his efforts. She dragged her legs up his to wrap around his waist, urging him deeper as he pumped into her. Slowly and steadily, his movements intensified, Elena meeting him thrust for thrust as their rhythm became more frantic. Needing to hear her cry out again, he took one of her nipples between his teeth while guiding his hand between their bodies to tease her clit.

Tangling her fingers in his hair, Elena nearly wept with pleasure as she stroked herself with her other hand, her fingers brushing his cock tantalizingly as they moved together. Knowing that she was close – and that he wouldn't last much longer – he hooked an arm under her knee, sinking deeper inside of her. Elena came apart with his name on her lips, swiveling her hips so that he climaxed right along with her.

"Holy shit," she breathed heavily, pushing her sweaty hair out of her face. She swallowed thickly, catching his eye as he fought for breath. Placing a hand on his chest, she grinned breathlessly. "That was a hell of a part one."

"Give me a little bit and we'll start part two," he smirked, taking her hand as he eased off of her. "I only need a couple of minutes."

A couple of minutes turned into a couple of hours, both of them having fallen asleep in their post-orgasmic haze. When Damon woke up from their long nap, he found Elena curled into his side, fast asleep. Smiling, he pressed a gentle kiss to her hair, yawning as he climbed out of bed and hopped in the shower.

After getting dressed and then ruffling through her old papers, Damon found something he was sure she'd never use in the field and tore a piece from it. He grabbed a pencil from her dresser and wrote her note.

Twenty minutes later, Elena's opened her eyes. Rolling over onto her side, she frowned at the empty spot where Damon had been until she saw a piece of paper resting on top of the pillow.

_Elena, _

_Just went to grab us some lunch. Shower and get into something pretty. I'll see you soon, babe.  
- D  
_

Biting her lip as she smiled, Elena placed the note on her nightstand and got out of bed, making her way to her closet. Picking out a pale yellow, knee-length dress and coat and setting it on the end of her unkempt bed, she headed for the bathroom. She wasn't sure how long Damon had been gone, but if he'd just left then maybe she had time to do something with her hair so that it didn't just flop in front of her face. She was in dire need of a haircut.

Taking her time, she pampered herself – conditioning her hair as she luxuriated in the hot water and half hoping that if she lingered long enough, Damon would return in time to join her. Shaving her legs, she tried to convince herself that she _wasn't _being a total girl for the super-hot man in her life, but the stupid grin that refused to budge from her face as she climbed out and dried off gave her away.

Only mildly disappointed that she hadn't gotten to experience shower sex with Damon Salvatore, Elena towel-dried her hair before grabbing some sea-salt scrunch spray, thoroughly coating her hair with it; she crumpled, squeezed, and clenched her locks with her fingertips to style her locks. Flipping her hair, she stared approvingly at her reflection. Beach curls were going to have to do for the limited time she had and she decided to use her spare time to play up her eyes with warm, summery colors.

She had gotten so into the application that she didn't hear Damon return, jumping and nearly stabbing herself in the eye with her mascara wand as he let out a wolf-whistle. Throwing her hand over her heart and inhaling deeply to calm it, she scolded. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Whoops," he smirked, walking into the tiny room and eyeing her up and down as he took in her naked form. "Well, don't you look…"

"Don't even say a word," she giggled, blushing as he trailed his index finger down her naked waist and pressed a kiss to her ear before lightly kissing the back of her neck. "I haven't finished yet!"

"Oh, I haven't either."

She shivered in his hold as his whispered words brushed across her skin. "I didn't know when you were coming back. I'm getting ready for whatever you have pl–what is it?" Catching sight of his sudden pained expression in the mirror, she whirled around in his arms. "What's wrong?"

"Just some…discomfort," he said, quickly reaching for his back and leaning backwards, pretending to stretch it. His heart was being a dick again, and while his meds were still working, they weren't doing their job for very long. While he'd been out getting food, he'd called up his cardiologist to schedule an appointment just to make sure that everything was copasetic. Disappointed, he watched her pull her robe from the door hook and slide it on, waiting for him to continue.

"I went to the gym before I got us lunch," he told her, turning and walking out of the bathroom. He knew if she looked into his eyes, she'd be able to read the lie in them. Elena was following behind him, so Damon continued with a half-shrug. "Pushed myself a little too hard and I think I pulled a muscle. Nothing too terrible."

"Well, shit, Damon, you shouldn't be pushing yourself at all!" she scolded, marching in front of him so that she could get a better look. "Unnecessary strain on your heart could –"

"I know what it could do, Elena," he hissed, frowning when he saw the look of hurt in her gaze. She lowered her head and he sighed. He knew she was doing what she did best, worrying about anything and everything when it concerned the people she cared about. "Hey." Cupping her face in his hands, Damon forced her to look up at him. "Just…calm your perky little tits, would you?"

The height of her worry and upset caused all of the color on Elena's face to vanish. "H-how can you be so casual about…" She trailed off, gulping heavily and beginning to breathe deeply. She pressed a hand to her stomach as her mouth watered. Her stomach churned and Damon frowned.

"Elena, are you okay?"

Her cheeks burned as her stomach lurched, feeling like she'd spent an hour on the Tilt-A-Whirl. She pulled away from him, covering her mouth with her hand and bolted toward the bathroom, leaving Damon dumbfounded. Snapping out of it after a second, he chased after her, coming to an abrupt halt as the door slammed in front of his face.

Jerking the handle and finding it unlocked, Damon pushed the door open. "I'm coming in," he announced, ignoring her weak protests as he walked inside and kneeled next to her. He pulled her hair into his hands and held it back as she retched into the toilet bowl, gripping the porcelain. _Fuck,_ he thought, hating to see her like this, just as he'd hated it when she'd gotten wasted at Tyler Lockwood's party all those years ago. He felt useless, completely unable to help her and he hated _that_ even more.

"You're okay," he said, rubbing her back and wanting it to end as much as she did.

"Get out," she gagged, barely getting the words out before heaving again. After emptying her stomach that second time, Elena slowly lifted her head and wiped her mouth with the back of her arm. "Ugh…that's disgusting," she frowned hoarsely, shutting the toilet lid and flushing. Shakily, she moved to sit on the seat and cradled her face in her hands, exhaling heavily.

"Feel better?" he asked as he stood up and ran a washcloth under cool water. He went back to her and gently wiped her forehead in an attempt to cool her off. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"I don't know," she answered, looking just as confused as he did. "Think the donut might have been stale?"

Damon shook his head, scoffing. "Nope. Try again, babe. I watched them pull the one you ate fresh out of the oven." Snapping his fingers as if he figured out the solution to a complex mathematical problem, he said. "Lexi had the flu at work a couple days ago. Remember that? It's been going around the office like the plague. Looks like it might be your turn."

"Great," Elena nodded, clearly aggravated by the revelation. "Wonderful."

"Well, let's put a pause on your celebration today," he decided, helping her to her feet, slowing his quick rise when she placed a hand on her stomach. "You should get some rest."

She looked up at him apologetically. "Damon, I may have gotten you sick."

"And if you did, I'll deal with it."

"I'm sorry," she moaned, leaning heavily against him.

"Don't be. It's not the end of the world," he smirked, kissing her on the cheek. He guided her back to bed and pulled the duvet up to her chin when she climbed in. "Sleep."

"Not tired," she insisted, tucking her hand under her chin. Her eyes were closed when he looked at her.

"Lie," he shot back as he walked over to the trashcan, picked it up, and set it beside her bed.

"Wrong," she mumbled.

"Elena," he growled softly.

"Aw, calm down," Elena giggled a bit, blinking tiredly up at him. "Look at you, all protective and worrisome, _Dad._"

Rolling his eyes, he sat on the edge of the mattress. "Happy to hear that isn't the case," he snickered until Elena's face fell. "Feeling sick again?"

"No…well, not physically," she admitted, reaching for his hand. "What you said….Elijah said those words to me."

"Did he now?" he mused, not sounding or looking the least bit impressed. "I'm sure I said them better, but which words were those?"

"'Happy that isn't the case.' Not the exact words, but they were similar." She rolled onto her back and threw her hands over her face. "God, I'm terrible."

"You're not terrible."

"I am. I probably got the flu because of karma," she moaned. "I'm the world's worst person."

"You are not," he snapped, knowing for a fact that she wasn't because that title was reserved for him and him alone.

"I feel like it."

"Well, you're not."

"I led him on, Damon!" she cried, her eyes suddenly welling with tears. "I led him on when I knew I had feelings for you and…and…I should have been honest with him from the get-go. He suspected from the beginning how I felt about you! I…"

Anticipating that the conversation was about to take a turn towards something he wasn't ready to discuss, the guilt starting to rise within him, Damon cut her off by silencing her with his hand over her mouth.

"Alright, that's enough; time to shut off your brain and rest. You're freaking out." He removed his hand only to place it atop her forehead and tsked playfully. "You don't feel warm, but I've got a feeling the fever will kick in tonight. I'm going to request that you do as I ask and stay in bed, sweat it out, and then we'll see if you remember anything you're babbling about tomorrow." She went to speak but he added quickly, "And by request I meant, you know, demand. You have no choice."

"But, Damon –"

"Elena, please," he said pointedly, satisfied when she gave up and nodded. It was more of a demand than a question, and he only used it when he really wanted her to do something. This instance was no exception. "Make sure to let Giuseppe know that you're not coming in to work." She nodded again. "I'll stop by after work and I _might_ even bring you some chicken soup."

"Ugh," she grimaced, furrowing her brow and shaking her head.

"Or not." He kissed her again before she buried her face into her pillow. "I put our lunch in the fridge…I can stay if you'd like, but otherwise I have something I need to take care of."

"No," she said quietly, already fighting to keep her eyes open. His gaze softened as he took in her weary features. She'd had a big morning of sex, followed by emptying her guts. It made sense for her to be exhausted. "Go on and get out of here. I don't want you getting sick. I'll just try to sleep it off." She curled into a ball and snuggled into her pillow, her eyelids slipping shut.

When her breathing slowed Damon lightly caressed the side of her face and whispered. "Sweet dreams, babe."

* * *

Stepping through the doors of Salvatore & Salvatore the next day, Elena walked to her part of the office and took a seat to continue with where she'd left off before the weekend had called her name. Getting comfortable, Elena prepared for yet another day of paperwork.

She remembered the promise she'd made to Damon about calling in sick to work, but that morning, she'd honestly felt 100% better. Her head hadn't pounded and her stomach hadn't rolled – she was well enough to go to the office. Elena showed up to Salvatore & Salvatore bright and early, where she was immediately greeted by her co-workers.

"Elena."

Looking up from her desk, she saw a pale Alaric standing directly in front of her, his arms crossed as though he were freezing. The building was anything but, which meant he'd caught the flu too. Poor guy.

"Oh, Ric," she frowned. "You look rough."

"Yeah," he muttered, clearing his throat and involuntarily shivering. "Spent the night in the bathroom. Gotta thank Lexi for that."

"Everyone's blaming her?" she shook her head. "Well, that's not fair. It wasn't her fault she got sick."

"No, she just came to work before she was better," he grumbled, blinking slowly and exhaling shakily. "Speaking of, Damon told me you weren't coming in today….so either you have an immune system of steel, or you're still sick and you're here against his wishes."

"I didn't see a reason to stay home," she said airily. "I'm feeling better."

"You better be. Must be a 24-hour bug, then, which is good news for me since I feel like I've been hit by a semi. Won't have to suffer too long, I hope."

"It will probably end soon…but what are you doing here, Ric?" she asked, half teasing, half concerned. "It's obvious you're not feeling well."

"I have some last minute cases to look over before I send them off. They couldn't wait any longer." He grimaced and placed his hand on his stomach. "God, this sucks."

"I hear you," Elena said. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well…but hey…try to get those cases done as soon as possible, okay? You really need to go home and get some rest." He nodded, waving at her as he started walking away. "Hey, Ric?"

He looked over his shoulder. "Huh?"

"Have you seen Damon?"

Ric's face fell and he shifted uncomfortably, swallowing and looking anywhere but at Elena. "He's just…well, he's working from home."

"Really? That's…not like him," she answered slowly. "At all."

"Yeah," he answered in a clipped tone.

She hoped that with her next question, he'd divulged something worth knowing. "Why is he working from home again?"

"Said he wanted to see if peace and quiet would help him focus better."

"Oh," she said softly, unsure if she bought the excuse or not. The office, aside from ruffling papers and the sounds that came from the fax, printer, and copying machines, was typically quiet. It's not like people shouted at each other whenever they talked, and Damon could have just shut his door if the noise had gotten to him. Nevertheless, she nodded. "Okay."

"Well, gotta get back to work," Ric said quickly, straightening up and leaving. "See you around, Elena. Bye."

"Bye?" she called to him, confused about his sudden change in attitude.

_That was weird._

"Elena?" Giuseppe called out to her just moments later. She waved to him from her seat and stood when he beckoned her. She felt his eyes appraising her as she stepped into his office, prepared to leave as soon as he gave her permission to do so. "What are you doing here? I thought you were staying home. Damon said you were ill. Was he lying?"

"No, no, I was," she conceded, "but I'm better now. Feel great and ready to get back to work."

"I'm happy to hear that. The others have been dropping like flies; I'm already expecting Alaric to lose his lunch. However if it's only a 24-bug he'll be back to normal in no time at all, right?"

"That would be correct." Elena gestured to the door, before turning to look at him again. "Um…was that all? I have some things that need to be looked at."

"Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you about something."

"Oh," she replied, "Sure, of course."

"Before my son headed home for the day –"

"You saw him?" she interrupted, brows raised in curiosity.

"Yes," he grinned. "And he told me the news. Congratulations on passing the bar exam, Elena. That's wonderful."

"Thank you," she smiled, relaxing a little.

Though Ric had acted strangely when discussing Damon, Giuseppe appeared completely normal. Then again, she wasn't asking a lot of questions. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cave and press him for information like she had with the other lawyer. She liked having Damon and Stefan's father at ease. If they knew something but Giuseppe didn't, she didn't want to cause any trouble for them.

Clearing her throat she added calmly, "Well, it's a huge weight that's been lifted off of my shoulders, to say the very least."

"I'm sure it is. And Damon has told you about Bree's leaving, correct?"

_What?_ This was news to her. Bree had been one of the first women at Salvatore & Salvatore to welcome her into the firm. She was leaving? "No…" she said with a slight shake of her head. "No, he didn't tell me anything about it, actually."

His brows shot up in surprise. "Oh. Well…that's surprising. I would have thought that he'd say something. In any case, yes, Bree is leaving us. She's being transferred and we're being left one lawyer short. It's not anything too pressing, but we would like to fill the spot as soon as possible. You understand?"

"Of course," Elena nodded. "I'm sure you'll find someone more than capable."

"Oh, I'm already looking at her." Giuseppe placed a hand on her shoulder and said. "I'd like for _you_ to take the position, my dear."

Elena's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "You want to bring _me_ on? As an attorney?"

"I'm offering you an opportunity; first dibs to join Salvatore & Salvatore."

"I don't feel qualified!" she squealed, her eyes sparkling with excitement and her smile beaming. "I…I wouldn't want to let you down, Giuseppe!"

"I'm not worried about that. I have complete and utter faith in you. That, and I would assign you a mentor before throwing you to the sharks, anyway."

"A mentor," she repeated and Giuseppe clarified for her.

"Yes. You can think of it as learning to ride a bike," he explained, leaning forward and clasping his hands on his desk. "The training wheels are off, but you'll have someone holding onto the seat. They won't let you fall, Elena."

She swallowed, "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't offer you the job if I wasn't."

Elena inhaled deeply, trying to calm the wave of emotion that was rushing through her and gave the man her answer. "I would love to accept your offer. Thank you so much."

"Excellent!" he headed to his door and opened it, holding it for her. "I'll let you get back to work now. We'll discuss the details more thoroughly in a few weeks when Bree leaves."

"Alright, sounds good," she said, giving herself a mental shake at the inadequacy of the word. _Good_ didn't begin to describe it – she wasn't sure that there was a word in the English language that could. Pausing in the doorway, she looked back at Giuseppe, unsurprised to find him waiting expectantly for her. "You…you mentioned that I would have a mentor…"

"I did."

"Do you have someone in mind already?"

"I figured I'd assign you to the person you trust the most here," he smiled knowingly. Giuseppe might be her boss, but she knew the man from her childhood had been very much obsessed with the idea of her and Damon as a couple. She knew that he still hoped that this 'partnership' would cause sparks to fly. Little did he know, however, that she and Damon were already together.

Elena shot him a pointed look. "Have you talked to him about this yet?"

"No, but I'm sure he'll be agreeable to it," Giuseppe winked. "He doesn't exactly have a choice in the matter."

Like father, like son.

"Do you mind if I take a minute to call him?"

"Oh, of course. I don't mind at all, go right ahead."

She waved her thanks, headed over to her cubicle, before she caught a worried Stefan out of her periphery. Putting the phone call on hold, Elena walked over to his office. She found him with his head in his hands and looking anything but relaxed.

"Boo!"

Stefan's head snapped up and she waved to him. "Elena, hi."

She smiled warmly, debating whether or not to bother him, but his troubled look worried her. "Everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah," he nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine. Why?"

"I don't know…maybe because you look like someone's just died," she teased, freezing as Stefan flinched. "Oh, god, please tell me everything's fine."

"Everything's…" he paused, shaking his head and snorting. "No. Everything's not fine, actually."

"What is it?" she dared to ask, walking into his office and sinking into the seat that was seated across from his. She watched as Stefan gulped thickly, seemingly trying to think of how to tell her the reason behind his upset.

"Elena, there's something I need to tell you…"

She frowned at the haunted look in his emerald gaze. "Stefan," she whispered, frightened by the way he was avoiding eye contact. "You're scaring me."

"It's about Damon."

Elena's stomach suddenly felt queasy again. "Stefan, what's wrong with Damon?"

"He…Elena, he…"

"Spit it out!" she whispered desperately, noting the way his shoulders tensed for a moment before throwing his hands in the air as he laughed bitterly.

"He doesn't want to be my best man," he explained with a heavy sigh, running a shaky hand through his hair and avoiding her gaze. "Well, more like…more like he's refusing, actually. My own brother won't be my fucking best man."

Elena tilted her head, wondering if she'd heard him right. Suddenly she realized how silly she'd been for panicking the way she had. Rising from the seat, she had honestly been terrified that something might have happened to Damon, but if the reason Stefan looked worn down was because he was tired of trying to convince his brother to support him through the biggest day of his life, then she would be happy to help.

"I'll talk to him," she promised. "Don't worry."

Stefan looked at her then, finally meeting her eye. "Yeah," he said quietly, his voice sounding strained. "Yeah, you should talk to him."

Elena nodded, the reminder that she still needed to discuss Giuseppe's offer with Damon coming to the front of her mind and spurring her to leave so that she could call him. Quickly making her way to the break room, she closed the door and picked up the phone. Dialing Damon's number, she listened to it ring and frowning when it went to voicemail.

"_Damon Salvatore. Leave a message and I'll get back to you."_

* * *

"Damon, it's me; I know I said I'd stay home today, but I was feeling better…and well, Ric's not, he's got the flu too. I'm babbling, anyway, Giuseppe told me that you told him I passed and he just offered me a job! It's insane and I have to admit, I'd hoped he'd offer me one, and I'm so happy! But he told me that he wants you to mentor me too, so…well, I don't know about that. It'd be great, but wouldn't that be a conflict of interest?

"I don't know, but I do know that I'm super excited about this, but I guess we can talk about everything when I see you next. Also, Stefan said that you're refusing to be his best man? You have to be there for him, Damon. You're _going_ to be his best man… and…and just call me back when you can, okay?" Taking a breath, Elena forced herself to bring the rambling message to an end, the grin evident in her voice. "Okay, talk to you soon, bye."

Battling with whether or not to answer, Damon's heart twisted and constricted painfully as he reluctantly let the screen go from '_The Pain in My Ass' Is Calling _to _One Missed Call. _

He knew his father would offer the job; he _should _have known that Giuseppe would have paired them together. Giuseppe was as tunnel-visioned on Damon and Elena ending up together as their moms had been and he was sure that their next meeting would be awkward as shit. He'd sworn his brother and Ric to secrecy. He didn't need them to take the brunt of her anger when it was him she was going to be pissed at. He'd have to face her soon enough and he wasn't looking forward to that conversation at all.

And it wasn't like he enjoyed avoiding her. Staying away from her was killing him. Imagine someone going on a Master Cleanse and then having some ass-jacket dangle a cheeseburger in front of their face.

Now multiply that temptation by one thousand.

He'd screened Elena's call, listening to her eager voice as she rambled through the voicemail at lightning speed and wanting to join her in her delight. Whenever she got excited her voice jumped three octaves and it was like her brain forgot to send the message to her lungs to breathe; she'd always had that tell and it was something he would count on whenever he'd buy her gifts when they were younger.

He hadn't even been away from her for more than a day and already he was feeling like a druggie going through withdrawal and needing a fix.

_Fuck_.

Damon wanted to kick himself in the ass. If there was one thing that he sucked at, it was treating Elena with decency. A lyric from a Mumford & Son's song ran through his head – "Our choices seal our fate."

_Ha_, Damon scoffed angrily, flopping back into the cushions of his leather couch. _ Fuck fate._

It had always taunted and teased him, showing him how incredible something could be only to rip it out of his grasp. Or it'd trick him into believing that maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all. But right now…_especially_ now…he was fairly certain that Fate had decided it was the perfect time to ass-fuck him with a cactus.

And if it wasn't fate, it had to have been Karma. That bitch had a way of running everyone over, but often made a point to throw herself in reverse and hit him again. And again.

"_What is your _problem_?" _she'd growled.

"_Cardiomyopathy. It's a heart condition. Puts a damper on a lot of things. You knew that."_

"_Yeah, you have a bad heart."_

A bad heart…for a bad heart.

Was that what this bullshit nonsense was? He'd treated Elena like utter shit, so this was his punishment?

Damon had promised her that he would stop by after work yesterday and he'd failed to follow through. He hadn't lied to her when he'd said that he had something he needed to take care of – he'd gone straight to the hospital to talk to his cardiologist about what was going on with his medicine. Thinking that he just needed a stronger dose, he hadn't been worried – that wasn't the case anymore. Now, he had a reason to be worried. Damon had gone from blissfully ignorant, to knowing the truth.

Staring down at his latest, traitorous diagnosis, Damon crumbled it into a tiny ball so tight that his nails bit into the skin of his palm.

His phone buzzed and he glanced down, seeing an incoming text from Elena.

_From: The Pain in My Ass_

_Message: You're working from home? Why? What's going on with you?_

Grimacing at the screen, Damon tapped in his reply before grudgingly pressing the "Send" button.

_To: The Pain in My Ass_

_Message: Yep, because, and nothing._

He hated that it was so curt, and he knew that she'd probably comment on it but he honestly didn't know what to say to her. Everything was pointless now.

How he felt about her didn't matter anymore.

Not bothering to wait for a reply, Damon turned his phone from Vibrate to Silent and threw the damn thing across the room. He tossed his arms over his face and tried to figure out the moment things had really gone to hell. Was it when he'd decided he'd get his vengeance by concocting the plan with Rebekah? Could it have been earlier than that? He wasn't sure, but he knew it had to have been something he had done that had been the catalyst for the universe to say, "Fuck you, Damon Salvatore. Your time is up."

As memory after memory washed over him, he realized he might as well focus on his past with Elena. Because according to his doctor, he sure as hell wasn't going to have a future with her.

* * *

_AN: Thank you all for reading and reviewing and just rocking at supporting this story in general. Remember when I said that this story is going to hurt? This is the point where that warning starts to be necessary. As always, thank you for reading and please review! ~Kate_


	10. Every promise I made

_AN: Did you guys know that you rock? Because you do. I continue to be amazed by your response to this story and I can't believe we're already at the halfway mark. __With the help of my fabulous beta mchriste22, and lawyer friend Layla Reyne, I have another update for you. _Here is chapter 10. We're going to take a small jump in time. Enjoy! ~Kate

* * *

Elena couldn't do it anymore.

"Giuseppe?" she asked, gently knocking on his office door and poking her head through it. "May I come in?"

Her nerves were worn thin, anxiety causing her stomach to roll in waves. She knew she had no other choice; she had to tell him that she was leaving. She loved the firm and her coworkers, but she couldn't take Damon's silence, couldn't take the pain that ripped through her whenever he looked at her as though he couldn't stand the thought of being around her, as though the months they'd spent rebuilding their relationship had meant nothing to him or hadn't even happened at all.

She felt cheap and she felt used.

After three weeks of nursing her broken heart while weathering Damon's cold shoulder, Elena just couldn't do it anymore.

"Of course, my dear," Giuseppe said, waving her in without look up, intently reading over his latest case. "I'm surprised you're here so late. I was sure you'd have gone home early after today's events with the Starr case." Glancing up at her, he frowned at the look on her face. "Is something wrong?"

Approaching him apprehensively, she placed a sealed letter on his desk. "Thank you for the offer to join Salvatore & Salvatore as an attorney, but I'm afraid I can't accept it. This is my formal resignation, my two-weeks notice."

"You're resigning?" he repeated in alarm, his eyes growing large as it hit him that Elena was essentially quitting. "Now wait just a moment," he ordered as she turned to flee from the room, causing her to pause with a heavy sigh.

She should have known that it wouldn't be easy to leave. Giuseppe hadn't been a second father to her in the same way that Lydia had been a second mother, but he'd always been good to her; he'd done numerous favors for her during her time with Salvatore & Salvatore.

"What is all this about?"

"Mr. Salvatore –"

"Elena," he said sternly. "You know me better than that. If it's something you truly want, you may leave. I will, however, tell you that you won't be able to transfer as easily as you might think. I can put in a good word, but you'll have to go through the interviewing process all over again, learning the ropes with brand new teams and learning to trust each and every person inside of it. Now, tell me what brought this on. I thought you were happy here."

_I was_, she thought, but knew she couldn't admit the truth without risking the possibility of more questions. She wanted to be professional, to end things with grace and dignity – the exact opposite of what would happen if Giuseppe forced her to admit that her failed romantic relationship with his son made it impossible for her stay. The mere thought of confessing everything made her cheeks flush with humiliation.

"I feel like being here is a conflict of interest," she said, deciding on giving him the half-truth. "Working with people I consider family is bound to complicate things with future clients. I'd like to be in an environment where I don't…have a past."

"If that is the problem, then it can be easily fixed," he smiled warmly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "If you're worried about conflict, then I'll just assign you to a different mentor. You get along with Alaric Saltzman, don't you? He's a good man. How does that sound?"

She had to admit that the idea of working with Ric was far more appealing than Damon, though Elena knew how close they were (best friends was an understatement, more like brothers from different mothers). It was as sure as the sky was blue that she and Damon would still see each other, if not during breaks then during business hours when Damon was known to throw his responsibilities to the side and chat it up with his good buddy. Elena wasn't sure if working with Ric as her law mentor would help or harm her where Damon was concerned.

She was, however, willing to risk it. Elena truly didn't want to leave the firm and Giuseppe had a point – she had zero interest in taking the time to bond with a brand new staff, and she was sure her new boss wouldn't be as lenient with her as Giuseppe had been with some of her rookie mistakes.

She would stay.

"Of course," she agreed with a tight smile. "I'd appreciate that. Thank you for understanding, Giuseppe."

"You are very welcome, my dear." Giuseppe headed back to his desk. "Now, get back to work. I'll inform Ric that you'll be joining his legal team just as soon as I finish reading over this file."

Having made it back to her desk, Elena suddenly wondered if she'd need to move cubicles now that she'd be working with Alaric's team, or if she'd get an office of her own now that she was no longer a urge to pack – _immediately_ – if it was in the cards had her putting the file she'd picked up back on her desk and heading back to Giuseppe's office. Finding the door slightly ajar, she was about to knock when the harsh whispers of a heated conversation within made her pause.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us?" Stefan demanded, anger and frustration – and worry – evident in his tone.

Giuseppe's exhausted sigh colored the air. "It wasn't –"

"I only just found out yesterday," the younger Salvatore continued. "For Christ's sake, I could be sick too! This jeopardizes everything. Do you understand? My marriage to Kat, our plan for kids…"

"You can still have them because you're not sick," Giuseppe snapped. "We had you tested before you joined football in junior high. You thought it was a regular, routine checkup but it wasn't."

"And what about Damon?"

Elena's ears perked at the mention of his name. Abandoning the pretense of professionalism, she crept closer to the door, eyeing the hallway to be certain that nobody would catch her eavesdropping and praying that no one would sneak up on her.

"He tried out two years before," Giuseppe admitted. "When he got winded after thirty seconds of sprints, we knew something was wrong."

"Yeah, and it keeps getting worse," Stefan said, accusation and fear thick in his tone. "He nearly passed out when talking to me yesterday. Now, I know you're an arrogant son-of-a-bitch at times, you treat him like shit, and I get that you two have issues but –"

"Watch yourself," the elder Salvatore's voice snarled, "you have no idea what you're talking about. I love you and I love Damon. You both mean the world to me, son."

"You sure have a hell of a way of showing it," Stefan scoffed angrily. "One day it'll be too late, and you won't have him around to 'tough love' anymore!"

Elena gasped in shock, slapping a hand over her mouth as she realized her audible mistake. Before she could get her feet to move, Stefan yanked open the door, shutting it quickly behind him as he joined her in the hall.

"Elena," Stefan eyed her warily, "how much did you –"

"Is it true?" she demanded, certain that she already knew the answer, fearing the truth but needing to hear it. "Is he getting worse?"

"Elena," he frowned, the look on his face answering her question. His green irises were filled with sadness and regret. "You weren't supposed to…"

Whirling around before he could finish his sentence, Elena ran blindly down the hall. Ending up at the elevator and pressing the Down button, Stefan quickly caught up to her.

"Yes," he said, grabbing her arm to prevent her from entering the elevator as it dinged its arrival. "Damon's heart is failing."

For a moment, Elena's body went rigid with denial as she searched Stefan's eyes for anything that would hint at him being untruthful. Not finding anything – knowing deep-down that she wouldn't find anything – she sagged in her old friend's arms as hot and furious tears streaked down her cheeks.

"Stefan, where is he?" she demanded, overwhelmed by the need to talk to Damon. "Just…just tell me where he is."

"El –"

"Stefan, please!"

"You have to understand," he begged, hating to see the girl he'd known all of his life so clearly in distress. "Please, Elena, you can't be angry with him. Well, you can, but he did what he thought he needed to do to make this easier on all of us…"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she cried, suddenly fearing the worst. "Stefan, did Damon leave? Where did he go, did he –"

"No, he's still here, he hasn't gone anywhere," he spoke gently, trying to prevent her from going into absolute hysterics. "He's just not…_here_, at the office, today."

"Why?" she sniffled, pulling away and wiping angrily at the tears staining her face as if she could wipe away the nightmare revelations Stefan had just unloaded on her. "God, he's just, what, hiding now? Why?"

"Because he wanted to make it easier on us by pulling away?" Stefan shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. But I do know where he is. He's working from home, again."

"He's been avoiding me," she told him, feeling dazed by the realization. "I would have never..."

Stefan nodded. "He's been avoiding all of us, but now you know why. I'm sorry, Elena." Taking her hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze. "Look…I need to tell you something, because I'm not sure if Damon's going to ever get over himself enough to just fucking come out with it…"

"Well," she interrupted, inhaling deeply before looking up at him. "He kept _this _news from me, whatever else you have on him that he won't reveal himself can't be any more shocking than –"

"Damon's still in love with you."

Elena's lips parted in surprise.

Or, maybe, it could.

_January 2012_

_Elena flew through the hospital's Emergency Wing like a woman possessed._

_If only she'd taken the time to come to Jeremy's graduation, this might not have happened. She would have insisted that they'd go out for a celebratory dinner, instead of conceding to going home straight away, like she was sure her brother and parents had done. She would have told Grayson and Miranda to relax and just spend time with her and her brother on such a special day. He'd just graduated from high school and he deserved to celebrate._

_Elena shouldn't have said that she was too busy. She hadn't been. She'd just been so burnt out from her final exams that she'd been worried that if she'd taken a break and gone home, she'd never go back. She'd been too close to the finish line to take the risk._

_It all seemed so stupid now. Now the only thing at risk was the thing she loved the most: her family._

_She tried to get to them as quick as her feet would allow, but was stopped by a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, holding out his clipboard to keep her from rushing into the ICU._

"_Hold on a moment," he said. "What is your name and who are you looking for?"_

"_Elena Gilbert," she answered quickly. "I'm looking for my family. My parents and brother were brought in tonight. Can you tell me where they are?"_

"_Miss Gilbert, my name is Robert Maxwell," he said, guiding her to the waiting room and showing her to a seat. "I took on your family's case as I thought it better to have them all under one physician; easier to keep their records in one pair of hands rather than three. Your brother is in the ICU. He has a concussion and a broken femur, but other than that he's doing fairly well. There aren't any signs of internal bleeding. He'll be coming out of surgery shortly and then you can see him."_

"_And my parents, Doctor Maxwell?" she asked, her shoulders drooping with the relief that her family had survived. "How are they? What were the extents of their injuries?"_

"_Miss Gilbert…" The doctor placed a hand on her arm, drawing Elena's gaze as a dull certainty began to form in the pit of her stomach. Her heart began to sink and she felt as if she was going to vomit. "I'm very sorry to tell you this, but…"_

"_No," she whispered, shaking her head._

No.

Elena had lost her parents, had almost lost her brother and she knew, without a shadow of a doubt that she would not survive losing Damon, too. Spurred into action, Elena had said a hurried goodbye to Stefan, rushed home to her apartment to grab her things and then hailed a cab, giving the driver Damon's address. Come hell or high water, she wasn't about to let him isolate himself from the world, from his family, or from her.

Reaching her destination, Elena threw some money at the driver and climbed out of the taxi, her gaze drawn to the lights shining from the windows at the very top. It was late, the sun had disappeared and all of the lights in the penthouse level were off, save for one. Stefan had said he was working, and even if he wasn't, something told her that Damon wouldn't be asleep.

The doorman knew her, waved her in with a smile that she briefly returned as she hurried to the elevators. It took an age to reach the top floors and she was pacing by the time the doors silently slid open. Flying down the hallway, she knocked on Damon's door, tentatively trying the knob when he didn't answer.

Unlocked.

She nearly laughed. _Cocky bastard._

Stepping across the threshold, Elena searched for him before calling his name, hating how weak she sounded. Considering she'd been choking on tears the entire drive over, she couldn't say that she was surprised.

She found him in the spacious living room, staring out of the window at the impeccable view. Her shoulders slumped with relief as she whispered his name.

"Damon."

Flinching at the broken catch in her voice as she said his name, he kept his eyes focused on the bustling nightlife of New York City as he stared out the large window of his lavish living room. The City That Never Sleeps had never seemed a more apt nickname as each skyscraper and the roads below were lit up, reminding him of his firefly infested yard back in Mystic Falls.

God, he missed summers in Virginia. He hadn't been home in ages, his hectic life too demanding to permit him the pleasure of reliving simple, childhood pleasures. The Salvatore family (and Elena, of course) had only been home to attend Lydia's funeral, but the second it had ended they'd hightailed it back to New York. Staring down at the nightlife, he saw people living their lives without a care in the world. He wanted to laugh, but it wouldn't have been one from joy.

Life could be cruel, so fucking cruel – especially to him and the woman he still...But hey, that was how the world worked, right? Karma and all that jazz – what goes around comes back around and bites you in the ass. And if it somehow misses, it'll make sure to catch you the next time around.

_Three Weeks Prior_

"_Mr. Salvatore," the young and gorgeous female doctor said, looking up from her Heart Chart. That was what Damon called it, anyway. The damn thing had everything from his name, to his weight, to his vitals, medications he took and more. _

"_What's up, Doc?" he smirked nervously, noticing that Doctor Schwartz's tone wasn't as warm and bright as usual. She was pacing. _

_All signs were suddenly pointing toward 'Fucked.'_

"_You've got it written down here, but why don't you tell me what's going on, Mr. Salvatore."_

"_I told you, it's Damon. Mr. Salvatore is my father, remember?" he chided flirtatiously, waggling his eyebrows and laughing at the way his doctor rolled her dark brown eyes. "Plus, I kinda missed my favorite doctor."_

"_Alright, alright," she shook her head, smiling and sitting on a miniature wheeled stool. Rolling to the foot of his bed, she tapped her clipboard with her pen. "Talk to me, Damon. You said your feet are, and I quote, 'the size of balloons?'"_

_Nodding, Damon shirked off his socks and shoes and started wiggling his puffy toes back and forth. "Yep. Take a look. It's gross and it's not normal; I know it's not."_

_She nodded, was surprised by just how swollen his feet were. "Edema. It's the swelling of the feet and ankles."_

"_I don't care what it's called, I need it to go down. Gloria…" He frowned at the worried look on her face. "What's that look?"_

"_What look?" she asked, smoothing out her features into a smile that was _almost_ convincing. "I don't have any look."_

"_Bullshit, Doc. You've got that 'Oh-Fuck-Something's-Wrong, Can't-Freak-The-Patient-Out look."_

_Doctor Schwartz pursed her lips."Damon, have you been experiencing anything else out of the ordinary?"_

"_Nothing about me is ordinary, Doc." Damon flashed her one of his signature sideways grins, but she didn't return the gesture._

"_Well?" she asked with an authoritative tone that made him cave._

"_Uh…" He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm having some trouble getting up in the morning." He shrugged. "I could sleep for twelve hours and it still wouldn't feel like I had a full night's rest." He eyed her every movement, every jerk of her pen as it scratched across her notes. _

"_Anything else?"_

"_Nope." He paused, before letting out a heavy breath at the skeptical brow that rose on his doctor's face. "Okay, fine. I get…" he grimaced before looking up at her again and shaking his head. "I've been getting nauseous, like, hunched over the toilet nauseous…and I haven't been since I was first given my meds."_

_Doctor Schwartz nodded, jotting down everything he was saying as she asked him if he smoked – nope; if he drank, and how much – yup, and a lot; and what current medication he was on. She adjusted her stethoscope and listened to his heartbeat, gave him a complete physical exam and looked for signs and any other possible illnesses that could have caused his heart to weaken further. _

_At least, that's what he figured had happened judging by her reaction to his new symptoms – try as she might to disguise it._

_Everything seemed routine, until the doctor started running new tests, starting with an Ejection Fraction. No other test had been needed, as it had told both Doctor Schwartz and Damon everything they'd needed to know._

Elena cleared her throat, softly saying his name another time. "Damon?"

"Don't," he uttered just as quietly earning an immediate, anger-filled response from Elena.

"How could you?"

He didn't answer her, didn't know how.

Silence stretched between them, growing more and more painful as the seconds turned into minutes. Finally, taking a deep breath, Damon turned around to face her, his heartstrings yanking painfully inside of his chest. He wanted to wrap her in his arms as he took in Elena's appearance. She looked terrible – her face ashen, her doe eyes swimming with tears, streaming down her cheeks unchecked as her lower lip slipped between her teeth and turned white as she bit down on it. He wanted to comfort her, but what was he supposed to do? He'd shut her out for weeks and couldn't – _wouldn't – _allow one look to be his undoing.

He'd be leaving her.

Like the future, the exact amount of time he had left was unknown, but Damon _was _certain about one thing – he didn't have a lot of it.

Unsure of where to start, Damon waited anxiously for her to speak, wondering how she was going to react. It was clear as fucking crystal that she knew _something_ (to what extent remained to be seen), and he swallowed hard as the tension in the air began to thicken. He'd agonized over whether or not to tell her, eventually deciding that silence was golden and reconciling himself to the sleepless nights he spent second guessing his decision. Like most of his decisions, however, he knew now that he'd made the wrong one.

She should have heard it from him.

_Way to go, Salvatore._

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" she demanded, breaking their stalemate, her unwavering gaze never leaving his face.

Forcing his jaw to work, his voice came out strained. "How long have you known?"

"Who told you?" he asked, taking one step forward and pausing when she shook her head. "Elena…"

"Does it matter?" she snapped, releasing a strangled half-sob, her glistening eyes going from shattered to livid in seconds flat. "You lied to me, you asshole!"

"Little white lie," Damon quipped, noting the way his voice betrayed his fear and hoping that Elena failed to hear it. Clearing his throat, he shrugged dismissively and hoped his voice wouldn't break. "Besides, it'll be over soon. I think I'm going to just rip off the proverbial band-aid. Ready?" he smirked as he flippantly added. "Time's running out. I either get a new heart or I die."

"Dammit, Damon!" she snarled. "How can you act so casual? How can you act like this only affects you? How can you be so glib?" she asked, rattling off questions, seemingly determined to get an answer out of him, even if it took sounding like a broken record to do so. He grew uncharacteristically uncomfortable by her fixed stare when she stopped her rapid-fire, verbal inquiry. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Shaking his head, he admitted. "No. No, I wasn't going to tell you."

"Your heart's giving out on you, Damon," she choked out, her eyes squeezing shut as more droplets leaked from the corners of her eyes. "It's...and you didn't even have the…someone else…and you're…you could–" she stuttered, her eyes continuing to release a steady flow of tears. "Oh my god. Oh my _god_! I can't believe you," she sniffed, shaking her head violently, as if it all suddenly made sense. "It's why you pushed me away and why you…"

As she continued to put everything together piece by piece, Damon very slowly made his way towards her as if she were a small, frightened animal likely to bolt at the slightest provocation. He'd had weeks to absorb the information, weeks to put up the walls that had kept her and everyone else out as he'd come to terms with his fate.

_Some walls, _he scoffed at himself as they crumpled around him like a flimsy house of cards.

"Elena," he murmured past the lump lodged in his throat. God, he hated hurting her – ironic considering how he'd practically turned it into an art form. He'd had weeks to accept the truth about his worsening condition, she'd had mere minutes – there was no way she'd be ready to deal with it, but he didn't have the luxury of time. "I need you to listen to me."

Standing before her, he raised a hand to touch her cheek, the pad of his thumb grazing her jaw as she stared at him in heartbroken disbelief.

"It is what it is," he said with a nearly imperceptible shrug.

Bursting into sobs, she finally broke as Damon wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. "You knew," she cried, burying her face into his neck, her chest vibrating against his with her tear-filled gasps for air. Her fists clutched at his shirt. "You knew and you pretended everything was fine and it wasn't_._ It wasn't and you pushed me away!"

"I know," he murmured, holding her tighter and pressing his cheek to the crown of her head as she trembled in his arms. "I know I did and I'm sorry, Elena. I'm so sorry. I thought it was for the best."

"I was so angry with you," she continued, clutching at his shirt with her fists. "So angry at your hot and cold attitude, and then I snapped and I was just done and I'm sorry for thinking you hated me, that you pretended to care about me just to hurt me the way I hurt you–"

"Shhh. Elena," he soothed, indulging in the softness of her hair as he trailed his fingers through it. The guilt screaming at him was overwhelming, but so was her pain. Holy shit, this hurt. Having her in his arms like this – literally _aching_ for her – was not how he'd envisioned their reunion.

Of course, he really hadn't envisioned a reunion at all.

"I've given you plenty of reasons to be pissed at me," he said. "It's okay."

"It's not!"

"It'll be okay," he insisted without knowing what 'it' was, but feeling the need to say it, to bring an end to her tears. "You'll be okay."

"And what about you?" Elena whimpered as she pulled back to stare at him with puffy red eyes. Brushing a thumb across her cheek, he wiped away one of the final tears that escaped her eye. Her mascara was smeared down her cheeks, her face red and her nose dripping, but all he could see was her beauty – a curse and a blessing since the day they'd met in the sandbox.

Damon should have known that he'd never be allowed to call someone so exquisite his own.

"Is there anything they can do?" Elena whispered, letting herself drown in the blueness of his eyes. "I mean, there has to be –"

"There is," he admitted, his expression guarded.

"Heart transplant?" she guessed and he nodded to assure her that he was already on a list or _the_ list – she didn't know and it didn't matter. Her heart swelled with relief – there was a list and he was on it. He was going to get the help that he needed and he wouldn't be leaving her.

She wasn't going to lose him after all.

"Damon, that's great," Elena smiled, wiping her eyes with her free hand, but unable to release her grip on him completely as if his bicep was some sort of life raft. Her expression fell as soon as she saw him look away from her, a pained smile spreading over his lips. "Why are you shaking your head? You just said –"

"I know what I said," he said quietly, stepping out of her grasp and walking away.

She felt the loss, the emotional disconnection as he pulled away from her, turning his back to her and returning to the window.

"You're not making any –"

"Elena…it's a long fucking list. And I've got three months."

His voice broke as she came up behind him, grabbed him and forced him to turn around. Taking his face in her hands, she gave it a gentle shake. "God, why didn't you just tell me?" she hissed through her tears. "We've wasted so much time!"

He shrugged, grimacing. "I thought it was pointless."

"Pointless?" she scoffed. "What's pointless?"

"All of it," he replied helplessly. "Trying to pursue a future with you knowing full-well I'm not going to have one."

Her heart folded in on itself at the mention of his wanting what she did, and her anger doubled.

"Don't say that! What about pacemakers? You don't have to wait for one of those, do you? You just have the procedure and –"

"And get it replaced every couple of years –_ if_ it works?" he retorted, bitterness dripping from his voice. "I'd feel like a robot waiting to have their batteries changed. I don't want to live like that, Elena. It's better this way."

"For _who_?" she sobbed, glaring at him through her tears. "Not for you. Not for me."

"For everybody."

"No."

"Please, Elena."

Her name fell so perfectly from his lips that she began to cry harder. Damon took the hands currently cradling his face and brought them to his lips, unsure of how he was keeping as calm as he was when he wanted to scream at the heavens for putting them through this.

"I have to let you go," he murmured.

"N-no, you don't." She shook her head desperately, her eyes widening in fear. "Please, don't give up –"

"Stop it," he begged, feeling like he was about to lose it. His heart was racing, his head was throbbing, and his stomach was roiling. Her distress was causing him to feel the same, if not worse.

"Why?" she cried in frustration. "Just tell me why! Make me understand!"

"Because it's too fucking hard!" he yelled, raking his hand through his hair as he spun away from her. All of this – hating her, fighting with her, hurting her, _loving _her – was just too goddamn hard when he knew the odds were stacked against them. "Elena, I don't want to do this, but I have to," he said, trying to explain without words that he wasn't worth the effort – _her_ effort, her pain.

Not when he'd done so much to hurt her in the past.

Feeling something wet on his cheek, he realized that he was crying too. _Fucking perfect,_ he thought derisively. _As if she doesn't think I'm pathetic enough already. _"Don't make this any harder than it has to be. Let me let you go! Let_ me_ go!"

"I can't!" Elena shouted in frustration, her throat raw from emotion. _Screaming is getting us nowhere, _she thought, taking a shaky breath, as deep as she could, as her anger deflated. "Goddamn it, Damon. Just like you, I've tried – and failed. I can't let you go. I can't and I don't want to."

It didn't matter anymore – the betrayals, the bickering, the memories, the heartbreaks, the past – none of it mattered. The only thing that did was getting through to him and making him believe that they'd get through this, together. Approaching him again, a tiny spark of hope ignited in her chest when he didn't back away.

"It doesn't have to be hard anymore," she promised through her tears, giving him the best smile she could manage. Framing his face and caressing it with her fingertips, she took in every inch of his skin, before settling her focus on her favorite shade of blue. "Because I'm going to be here, okay? I _want_ to be here."

Her words were a promise that was as convincing as it was heartbreaking; not because Damon didn't believe her, but because he believed every goddamn word. She'd rather suffer with him than leave him to go through it alone. He knew that she hadn't meant anything more in her life. Melting into her touch, he closed his eyes, briefly imagining the life he should have been able to have with her instead of facing the cold reality that he wouldn't be able to have any of it.

"I'm going to be here," she said again, sniffling and dipping her eyebrows as she stared into his eyes with a steady, determined gaze. "I'm not going anywhere. You don't get to argue with that. I am _not _leaving you."

_You're not the one I'm worried about leaving,_ he mused silently, unwilling to voice his thought out loud. His throat closed painfully. He squeezed his eyes shut and swore as more tears slithered out from underneath them. Hating the weakness, he tried to turn his back to her again, but she grabbed him by the wrist, preventing him from taking another step.

"Stop hiding from me," she pleaded.

Turning his head slightly in her direction, not quite meeting her eye, Elena's heart broke all over again as she watched him angrily wipe the wetness from his cheek once again. He was afraid. He had every right to be, of course, but he'd always been strong. He'd never willfully shown this much vulnerability around her, not even when Lydia had passed.

Acting on instinct more than desire, she rose on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before she knew what she was doing. Shaking her head and taking a step back, Elena ran her fingers through her hair.

"God, I'm sorry," she said with a shaky, disbelieving sound resembling a mix of a laugh and a sob. "Now is _not_ the ti –"

Damon's mouth sealed over hers before she could get the rest of her sentence out. His arm wound around her waist, drawing her nearer to him as his other hand curled around her neck and caressed her jawbone with the pad of his thumb.

It felt incredible to have her close again. Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss, desperate for the comfort that washed over him whenever she was near. Her hands framed his face while their tongues tangled, teeth clattering against each other as the kiss intensified and igniting a fire in his belly that begged for more.

Backing her against the wall, Damon nearly ripped her blouse in half and cupping her breasts with a firm grasp, he shoved his hands underneath her bra to fondle her. Elena wrapped her legs around his waist, curling her fingers around the back of his neck, clinging to him as if he were the anchor she needed to stay grounded to the world.

Before either one of them knew what was happening, they were only half dressed, their clothes lying discarded on the floor as he carried her to his couch. The sounds of their fevered kisses and gasps for air filled the room and nearly drowned the last of the dying embers crackling of the fireplace.

"Elena," Damon managed when she pressed her lips against the column of his throat. "I should warn you – I can't be with you the way I was last time," he admitted, cracking a rueful smile that he didn't feel. "My batteries are running low on energy."

"That's okay," she murmured against his lips, pressing another sweet kiss to his mouth. "All I want you to do is relax."

Pushing him down to the couch, Elena straddled him, her knees on either side of his thighs, boxing him in as she unbuttoned his shirt while he went to work on removing her laced bra. He smiled when her breasts were revealed to him, and brought his mouth to her nipple. He reveled in the way it instantly pebbled under his touch. He'd never get over the way she responded to him.

Elena tossed his shirt behind her, and raised herself to shimmy out of her skirt. As he pulled her panties past her knees, he placed small little pecks down her stomach. Now that she was naked, it was time to undress Damon. When she reached for the hem of his pants, skating her thumb across the skin and dipping her fingers inside, he bucked.

"W-wait a second," he mumbled as she leaned in to kiss him again, fluttering his eyelashes as she nibbled on his ear. _God, that feels good._ "Elena, hang on…"

"What is it?" she asked, pulling back to meet his gaze.

"I need to…shit," he cursed as her hands slipped between them to wrap around his cock and position him at her entrance. "I need to tell you something."

"Then tell me," she smiled, leaning forward as she circled her thumb around the tip of him and grinned at the way he bucked his hips, letting his head fall against the back of the couch. Dipping her head, she placed tender kisses along his jawbone, nipping at his skin, as his grip on her hips tightened. "I'm listening."

Working his hands up her legs, Elena's breath hitched as Damon's thumbs began grazing the skin of her inner thighs. His fingers moved higher and higher, teasing her heated flesh as he turned his head slightly to whisper something into her ear.

Elena froze, thinking she must have misheard him.

"What did you just say?"

"I love you, Elena." His lips curved lazily into a satisfied smile as her eyes widened. He was sure she'd heard him, but if she needed to hear it again, he'd repeat himself as many times as she asked. Telling her how he felt was much different this time around, Damon knew. The look in her gaze made him sure. "I do," he repeated. "I love you. Always have, always will."

She blinked down at him, swallowing thickly as his words sank in.

"Really?" she asked, narrowing her eyes skeptically as he nodded. "You do?"

Damon nodded twice more, laughing softly.

Elena's eyes welled, this time because of elation rather than devastation. Swallowing, she closed her eyes as she whispered hoarsely, wanting to believe him and clutching with everything she had at the hope rising in her. "Lie?"

"Truth, you beautifully stubborn girl," he promised her, taking her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. "It's the truth." He kissed her fiercely. "Dammit, Elena, I am completely in love with you. It's always been the truth."

He kissed her again before she could respond, suddenly overcome with the need to be inside of her, to punctuate his words with action and to show her in every way he knew how that his love for her would _always _be the truth.

"Damon," Elena gasped out, resting her forehead against his as she rose up on her knees and slowly sank down onto him. Up and down, slow and steady, she moved until the coil within her began to wind tighter. Her body was on fire, set alight by Damon's touch in a way that was reserved for him alone. She could feel her release building within her as he placed his hands on her hips and groaned as she slid back down on his length when she lifted herself again.

Being above him gave her the ability to control how fast or how slow she wanted to take it, and though her movements had started out at an even pace, soon they grew desperate and faster, her breaths quick and shallow as sweat began to bead along her forehead. He could sense she was close, could feel her walls start to tighten deliciously around his cock and while this wasn't his best showing, he had every intention of making sure she'd see stars. Slipping his hand in between where they were joined, he teased her clit, immediately catapulting her into her release. She cried out in joy while he continued to stimulate her, prolonging her orgasm and then he came right behind her, with a throaty groan. Once Elena floated down, she slumped against him, panting heavily as she moaned out her love for him.

"Fuck, you are stunning," he whispered breathlessly, pressing his lips to her damp temple. He may not have been as active in their love-making this time, but that didn't mean he hadn't been given a workout.

Lifting her head, Elena searched his eyes. "How was that?" she asked in between breaths, licking her lips and stroking his cheek.

"Spectacular."

"Well, good for us, but that's not what I meant," Elena laughed softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Walking on sunshine, babe," Damon promised, ghosting his fingers down her sweat-slicked back and pulling her to him as he smiled into her kiss. Easing them both down to the cushions, he began gently stroking her hair as she snuggled right up against him. He tried not to think about the fact that he wouldn't be able to do this with her for a very long while, if ever again.

"I'm sorry, Elena," he whispered, kissing her temple. "Tell me you forgive me." _Because I need it…for so much more than you could ever imagine. _

"I forgive you," she sighed, noticeably content as his heart continued to race like a stallion and refusing to slow down. Damon tightened his hold around her, bracing himself for the pain that he knew was coming and he tried to keep his voice even.

"Staying away from you was fucking torture; you have to know that."

"I do," Elena pressed a kiss to his naked chest. "It wasn't easy for me either."

The familiar tightening and throbbing in his chest nearly stole his breath away from him and he fought to get it back. "That's because you're…obsessed with me."

"Shut up," she giggled, her body still humming in orgasmic bliss. "You're unbelievable." Waiting for his response, she looked to find his oceanic gaze closed off from her, his entire face scrunched tight. "Damon? What's going on?" she asked worriedly, "Is your chest hurting?"

He responded with a nod, presumably still trying to mask his pain. Rather than letting her panic suffocate her, she tried to keep calm.

"Where's your medicine?"

Following his gesture, she flew off of the couch and across the room, digging into the pockets of his slacks, relieved when she found the tiny orange bottle with his name inked into the label. Looking over at him, she saw him attempting to sit up, his face pained as he rubbed at his sternum.

_Fucking hell,_ Damon thought. Of course the universe refused to allow him even one day of peace and happiness. He struggled to sit up, breathing with difficulty and trying and failing to ease the hard compression in his chest. Smirking, he caught Elena's eye, trying to show her that it wasn't as bad it looked. He let her call an ambulance as she frantically threw her clothes back on and he slipped into a pair of sweatpants that she'd retrieved from the bedroom. He tried to stand, but staggered to the ground when an imaginary vise around his heart suddenly tightened like a boa constrictor. He accidentally knocked a lamp off of the end table, causing Elena to whirl around.

"Damon!" she cried, dropping the phone and rushing over to him. She fell to her knees beside him as his vision blurred out of focus and her pleas for him to stay with her grew distorted and faded, sounding farther and farther away. She shouted for him not to leave her, but the darkness was too overwhelming and Damon was soon claimed by it, forced into the abyss of unconsciousness.

* * *

Sitting in the waiting room, Elena was unable to keep her memories from rising to the surface. Damon's episode back in 2005 and her parents' accident earlier in the year, along with what had happened tonight haunted her mercilessly until she felt a firm hand squeeze her shoulder.

"How are you doing?"

She watched Ric take a seat in the chair that sat opposite from her. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he took her in, noting the dark circles and stiff posture. Elena gave a half-hearted shrug; she _felt_ fine. Exhausted, but fine. Stefan and Giuseppe were grabbing coffee, but she wouldn't move. She didn't want to miss anything. If she was gone when the doctor finally chose to make an appearance to update them on Damon's condition, she'd rip her hair out.

"You can head home, you know," Ric said, eyeing the Emergency doors that Damon had been taken through. "I think he's going to be here for a while."

"I can't leave," she said shakily, lifting her head to meet his eyes. "I want to be here when he wakes up."

"I'm not sure if –"

"Don't, okay?" she barked before sighing heavily as he nodded and looked away again. Alaric didn't deserve that at all. "I'm sorry, Ric. I didn't mean to snap. He'll be fine. Damon will be fine."

_He promised me I'd never lose him._

She swallowed thickly at the thought, blinking away tears that seemed never ending lately.

Ric reached out and gave her knee a gentle squeeze. "I didn't mean to give you the impression that I thought he wouldn't be. But you've been here for hours, Elena. I know you must be wiped out because I've been here nearly as long and _I'm _wiped out."

"Elena?"

Her head snapped up to find Stefan with his arm wrapped around his fiancée's waist as the couple walked towards them. When had she gotten here? And where was Giuseppe? Was he still out getting coffee? Taking in the other woman's appearance, Elena noticed that Katherine's eyes were half-open, drooping, looking just as tired as the rest of them. Stefan dropped his arm from Katherine's waist and walked up to Elena. He hugged her tightly, hoping to send her every ounce of support he could muster, while she did the same.

"Get your coffee?" she asked Stefan as lightly as she could manage, pulling away from him as he shook his head and Katherine slipped back into his hold.

"It tastes like old garbage, dumped it out." Scrubbing his hand over his face and through his hair, he added. "I think I'm just going to head home for a little bit; take a shower, maybe a nap." He gave her a quick once-over and Elena scowled when she caught him doing so. "Don't look at me like that. You should take a beat, too. You look like you're about to pass out any second now."

"That's what I said," Ric added, giving Elena a raised brow, taking a seat on the ugly, stiff couch once again.

She shook her head and as calmly as possible shot them both down. "I'm fine. If you all want to go home then go home, I won't stop you. I get it, we've been here for God knows how long, but I am not leaving here until somebody gives us an update."

"Come on, Stef." Katherine tugged the lapels of her beau's jacket, and whined tiredly. "You heard her. She doesn't want to leave him."

"I don't want to leave him either," he commented, glancing at her. "But you insisted so…"

"Excuse me?" the brunette hissed. "What do you mean I insisted? I suggested, and you agreed. Don't act like I'm forcing you to do something you don't want to do."

Stefan released his hold on her and crossed his arms, looking and acting very much like a petulant five-year-old. "Good, then you'll be fine with me staying here."

"I don't give a shit what you do, Stefan. Just…whatever," she sighed, "I'm going to leave before either one of us says or does something we regret."

"Kat, wait, I'm…."

"I'll see you later, Stefan. Let me know when you hear anything about your brother," Katherine said, the echo of her heels against the linoleum floor lingering even after she'd disappeared.

"Dammit," Stefan growled softly, falling to the cushions beside Elena. "She totally over-reacted."

"She's stressed out, Stefan," she reminded him, rubbing a soothing hand down his back. "Everyone is, okay? Let her go home and unwind a bit. She'll be back." He looked at her before sighing and nodding, taking her hand in his and giving it a grateful squeeze.

Giuseppe stormed into the waiting room a few moments later, holding his cup of coffee. "Where the hell is your fiancée going?" he asked accusatorily, glaring at the youngest Salvatore. "Katherine was in tears and refused to talk to me. Nearly knocked me over to get out of here. What did you say to her, Stefan?"

"We had a…disagreement," Stefan said as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Lay off, Dad. I don't want to hear it."

"Don't you mess this up, son."

"How would I do that? What do you think I would do?" he snapped. "Break off my engage –"

"Stefan, that's enough," Elena scolded, letting go of his hand as her gaze darted between the two men. "From both of you. We're all worried about Damon, but we can't let what is going with him send us spiraling out of control, okay?"

She rose on shaky legs, intent on ushering Giuseppe to one of the chairs. The room spun crazily at her abrupt movement, making her pause. Maybe Ric had a point. Her body felt like it was about to revolt and shut down whether she wanted it to or not. A few more minutes wouldn't hurt. Pushing the thought to the side, Elena continued, forcing the rest of her words out as her dizziness worsened.

"We…we have to support each other through this."

Stefan frowned. "Elena?"

"We have to be strong for each other, and we have to be strong f-for..."

"Elena!"

Ric reached for her as her knees suddenly buckled, seconds before her head hit the cold tile. All of the stress-driven hostility in the room vanished as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and fear for the girl who'd smacked them back into reality seized the three men.

"Holy shit!" Stefan cried, crouching next to Ric and placing a hand on her shoulder, shaking it violently. "Elena? Come on, Elena, wake up."

"Elena," Ric said, gently patting her ashen cheek with his palm as he glanced up at the Salvatore men. "What are you two doing just standing there? She needs help, dammit!"

Stefan got up and disappeared in a flash while Giuseppe kneeled next to the man who was cradling who he still hoped would someday become his daughter-in-law. The minutes ticked on and Ric grew more irritated that no helped had arrived and Giuseppe made a comment about none of this happening had his Lydia still been alive.

"Look, Mr. Salvatore," Ric spoke carefully, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "I'm sorry for your loss. I don't want to be dick, but we need to focus on Elena right now. If Stefan's not back in the next couple of minutes, I'm going to go find help too. We're in a fucking hospital full of doctors; it shouldn't take so damn long to find an available one."

As if on cue, Stefan came running around the corner with someone carrying a medical kit trailing him closely.

"Okay, there she is," Stefan said quickly, panicked and pointing to her still form. "Hurry! Her name's Elena Gilbert. Please help her." He gestured to Elena as Ric exhaled in relief. It was about damn time.

Elena awoke a few moments later, opening her eyes to see four concerned men looming over her. Self-conscious, she fought to sit up, but was prevented from doing so.

"What happened?" she frowned, bringing a hand up to her head as someone placed one of theirs behind her back and slowly helped her to sit up straight. "Why am I on the floor? Did I…what the hell happened?"

"You fainted," Stefan snorted, though his eyes were filled with worry. "That's what happens when somebody doesn't listen to us and flat out refuses to go home."

"Miss Gilbert."

Elena looked up at the unfamiliar face, realizing quickly that she was being carefully examined by a doctor. Holding up an ophthalmoscope, he nearly blinded her at the unexpected flash of light directed to her eyes.

"Sorry, Ms. Gilbert," he apologized as she blinked rapidly to clear her vision. "My name is Rudy Hopkins. I'm one of the physicians here at Metro Hospital. Mr. Salvatore –"

"Stefan," the man corrected. "Stefan's fine."

"Stefan said you lost consciousness because you're not taking care of yourself?"

"That's exactly it," she grumbled, glaring at the young man who simply shot her a smug smile. "I haven't eaten since this morning and I'm exhausted. Nobody needs to panic, alright? I'm perfectly fine."

"Well, if you don't mind, I would feel much better if you'd come with me so we can run a few tests." She went to protest, but Doctor Hopkins cut her off. "At least allow us to balance your electrolytes."

"Huh?" Ric frowned. "English, Doc."

"He thinks she's dehydrated," Giuseppe said. "Do whatever needs to be done, and please don't hesitate to put anything you do on my bill. I don't need another child of mine to suffer."

"What? Giuseppe, no, don't be ridiculous," Elena said, getting to her feet with Ric's help. She took a seat on the couch Stefan had been sitting on and scrubbed her face with her hands. "I'll put it on my credit card, but if you really think it's necessary, Doctor Hopkins, then I'll go with you."

"Credit card!" Giuseppe roared and Stefan and Ric both rolled their eyes. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever….you can't honestly put –"

"Dad," Stefan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "For God's sake, let her take care of it if she wants to."

"Absolutely n –"

"What were you saying, Doctor Hopkins?" Ric jumped in, eager to end their bickering. Elena shot him a grateful smile and he winked at her.

"Just a checkup," the man explained. "An IV to replace any fluids lost, if it turns out you are indeed dehydrated and a blood test if necessary."

"Okay," Elena finally conceded, crossing her arms over her chest. She turned to look at the men and asked, "Will somebody let me know if you hear anything about Damon?"

"Definitely," Stefan said.

Giuseppe added gently, "Of course, my dear."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Stefan asked, the look in his gaze reminding her so much of the little boy she'd known when they were little. His big green eyes were still as kind as ever and it warmed her heart that he still cared as deeply about her as he did. "I will if you need me to."

"I'll be fine, Stef," Elena told him. "Your brother needs you a lot more than I do."

"He'll never admit it," he scoffed, swallowing and kicking the ground childishly.

"But he does, and you know it," she smiled softly before turning her attention back to the man with the lab coat. "So where are we going?"

Doctor Hopkins held out an arm, and something about the way he spoke made Elena feel uneasy. "Right this way."

* * *

_AN: Thank you all for continuing to support this story. Still can't believe we're halfway through. Started writing the first draft of chapter one back in April 2012 and now, 10 chapters later (and with a 20 chapter outline), here we are. Insanity! Hope you guys stick around, there's a lot more to come. As always, thank you so much for reading, and please review! ~Kate_


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